07/07/2025
Why Your Smartphone is Rewiring Your Spine (And How to Fight Back)
Have you ever noticed neck stiffness after a long texting session or felt like your shoulders are permanently hunched forward? You’re experiencing what’s become known as "text neck" or "tech neck" – and it’s literally changing the structure of your spine.
Your head weighs about as much as a heavy bowling ball in a neutral position. But here’s where it gets alarming: when texting on a phone, it is common to bend the head forward and look down at a 45- or 60-degree angle, which creates five times the amount of force on the neck.
Think about that for a moment – you’re essentially asking your neck to support the weight of a small child every time you check your phone. Over the course of a year, this amounts to an additional 1,000 to 1,400 hours of pressure on the average smartphone user’s spine.
This happens because texting typically requires both hands and more screen interaction, naturally pulling your shoulders forward and head down. Over time, mechanical stress in the cervical spine due to erroneous cell phone use induces poor posture and incorrect body alignment, which is associated with dysfunctional movement patterns, weak balance-ability and distorted function of the respiratory, circulatory, digestive, and nervous systems.
At BUZEK CHIROPRACTIC CLINIC we see the effects of text neck regularly and can help restore proper spinal alignment before minor issues become major problems. Through targeted adjustments and personalized exercise programs, we can help reverse the damage that constant smartphone use creates.
Don’t let your smartphone control your posture – take control today and schedule an appointment to learn how we can help protect your spine for years to come.
