07/07/2023
Speaks for itself I think!
Defining Text Neck📱📱
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00586-023-07821-2
👉The term text neck quickly spread through the media worldwide[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/11/20/text-neck-is-becoming-an-epidemic-and-could-wreck-your-spine/, https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2014/nov/24/text-neck-how-smartphones-damaging-our-spines, https://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/20/health/mobile-society-neck-pain/index.html, https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-33195649]. Currently, text neck is a popular label among healthcare professionals and patients, despite the lack of supporting evidence.
👉The biomechanical concern was raised mainly by Hansraj study [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25393825/2, s. graphic], that estimated that while in a neutral position the head weighs a relative 10-12lbs, compared to 27lbs at 15 degrees, 40lbs at 30 degrees, 49lbs at 45 degrees and 60lbs at 60 degrees. However, data from mechanical load on the necks of cadavers showed a resistance of up to 540lbs or 244.94 kg, 9⃣ times higher than mentioned by Hansraj [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17621208/]. Moreover, in living people the resistive and adaptive capacity of the cervical spine would be even higher.
👉From a clinical perspective, text neck seems to be of no scientific value since there is no association between the flexed posture adopted during texting on smartphones and neck pain [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33290371/, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29306972/, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33992248/, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27633215/].
👉 Text neck is not an accepted diagnosis and does not seem to be a risk factor for neck pain. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00586-023-07821-2
👉 The authors propose that the adjectives like “inappropriate” or “incorrect” should be avoided. There is a prevailing reasoning that the main cause of spinal pain is structural vulnerability, such that posture correction plays a major role in avoiding tissue damage.The belief of pain as a synonym of tissue damage may contribute to a lack of patient reassurance during the first consultations. Moreover, this behavior is a possible cause of the excess of low-value health care, such as excess of magnetic resonance imaging scan prescriptions and unnecessary interventions for spinal pain [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35869328/].
👉 From a research perspective, the definition of text neck as a habit of texting on the smartphone in a flexed neck position, regardless of whether the person has neck pain, may be of scientific value for new studies.
