Matson Chiropractic Center

09/25/2025

What Is Text Neck and How Can Chiropractic Care Help?
Woman deals with text neck.

Could You Have Text Neck?

Increased use of cellphones and digital devices has led to a new ailment known as "text neck." Looking down at these devices stresses the neck, causing pain and other symptoms. Luckily, you don't have to give up your phone to avoid text neck problems. Your chiropractor offers several therapies that can relieve your pain and prevent permanent damage to your neck.

Text Neck Explained

The seven vertebrae that make up the neck are designed to support about 10 pounds, the weight of the average head. Chiropractic Economics notes that dropping your head just two inches is about the same as adding 30 pounds of pressure to the neck.

Over time, the added pressure may begin to affect the muscles, discs, nerves, ligaments, and vertebrae in the neck, causing these text neck symptoms:

Tight, Painful Muscles in the Neck, Shoulders, and Upper Back
Muscle Spasms
Headaches or More Frequent Migraines
Lightheadedness and Dizziness
Reduced Range of Motion
Clicking Sound or Grinding Feeling in the Neck
Heavy Feeling in the Head
Tingling or Numbness in the Arms or Hands
Muscle, Nerve, or Ligament Inflammation
Changes to Your Gait
Without treatment, the ligaments that help hold the vertebrae in the neck together may stretch and loosen. As a result, the neck could lose its natural curve and become unstable. As the neck changes shape, blood vessels and nerves that travel through the neck to the brain can become compressed and trigger health problems that affect both physical and mental health, according to an article published in Frontiers in Neurology in 2024. Compression of blood vessels affects the amount of blood that reaches the brain. Mild compression of blood vessels could cause symptoms like lightheadedness or dizziness, while more severe compression might result in a stroke.

Text neck can also damage the spinal discs between the vertebrae, pinch nerves, or cause bone spurs or arthritis due to premature wear and tear.

How Your Chiropractor Can Help with Text Neck

Chiropractors offer natural treatments that ease symptoms and treat the source of neck pain. Depending on your symptoms, your chiropractor may recommend one or more of these treatments:

Adjustments. Chiropractors use controlled force to realign vertebrae. Adjustments improve posture and range of motion, ease neck pain, and reduce pressure on nerves and blood vessels.
Massage and Soft Tissue Therapy. These hands-on therapies ease pain, loosen tight muscles and tissues, and improve blood flow. Boosting blood flow increases the flow of blood and nutrients to the neck and helps damaged tissues heal more quickly. Endorphins and serotonin released during massage and other chiropractic treatments act as effective natural painkillers.
Exercises. Exercises strengthen weak muscles in the neck, shoulders, and back. Performing the exercises recommended by your chiropractor can help you counteract the effects of text neck.
Preventing Text Neck

Your chiropractor may also offer suggestions that will help you prevent text neck symptoms, including:

Changing the Position of Your Devices. It's best to view phones and devices at eye level. Use holders and stands to keep devices at the correct level if possible.
Taking Breaks. Take a break at least every 30 minutes when using your devices.
Stretching. Your chiropractor can demonstrate a few neck and shoulder stretches you can do during your device breaks. Performing these stretches several times per day can help you avoid pain and headaches.
Struggling with text neck pain? We can help! Contact our office to schedule an appointment with the chiropractor.

Sources:

Frontiers in Neurology: The Ligamentous Cervical Instability Etiology of Human Disease from the Forward Head-Facedown Lifestyle: Emphasis on Obstruction of Fluid Flow Into and Out of the Brain, 11/27/2024

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11638589/

Chiropractic Economics: Looking down: Text neck syndrome affects how we see the world, 7/16/2024

https://www.chiroeco.com/looking-down-how-text-neck-syndrome-affects-how-we-see-the-world/

Science Direct: Gait & Posture: The Relationship Between Forward Head Posture, Postural Control and Gait: A Systematic Review,10/2022

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966636222006099

WebMD: What to Know About “Text Neck,” 9/20/2024

https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/what-to-know-text-neck

NCBI: Lancet Rheumatology: Global, Regional, and National Burden of Neck Pain, 1990-2020, and Projections to 2050: A Systematic Analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, 2/19/2024

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10897950/

Neck pain is a highly prevalent condition that leads to considerable pain, disability, and economic cost. We present the most current estimates of neck pain prevalence and years lived with disability (YLDs) from the Global Burden of Diseases, ...

09/18/2025

Thanks for the great testimonial Richard!! Dr. Brian

Matson Chiropractic Center https://share.google/b80cN7hGxkFfWRNub

09/02/2025

Old post.....same great benefits of Chiropractic treatment!!

Chiropractic adjustments are joint and spine manipulations that help ease body pain. It can relieve headaches, neck and back pain and joint and muscle stress.

12/05/2024

INJURED IN A CAR ACCIDENT?

If you were involved in a Car Accident, even if it was minor, failure to see a Chiropractic specialist could result in chronic conditions that take months or years to heal, costing you thousands of dollars in medical treatment.

Many people who are injured in a minor accident do not even think to see a chiropractor. However, chiropractic care after a car accident is the best solution for most people because it does not involve drugs or surgery.

Surgery and drugs are usually the go-to treatments for car accident injury victims, but a much better alternative is a chiropractic doctor who specializes in treating accident injuries.

Below is a list of The Benefits of Chiropractic Care After a Car Accident:

1. Injuries are not Always Obvious
Obviously broken bones, lacerations, or bruising will be easy injuries to spot after a car crash. However, there are other injuries such as Whiplash that are not always apparent immediately following a motor vehicle accident.

It could take hours or a few days to feel the symptoms of whiplash, such as dizziness, headaches, soreness, or pain in the upper back and neck.

The best way to deal with a whiplash injury is to catch it early on. This means, if you were involved in a car accident, do not wait to seek treatment until you feel pain.

Ignoring a potential injury can lead to long-term pain, which is why it is essential to see a chiropractor immediately following your accident so they can properly diagnose your injuries and start you on a treatment plan before the pain become unbearable.

2. Reduces Inflammation
When you are involved in a car accident, micro-tears in the ligaments and muscles are a common injury, and unfortunately, an X-ray is not going to catch them.

These tears in the muscles are the main reason people wake up after a car crash in severe pain wondering what is wrong because their X-rays looked normal.

A chiropractor will use spinal manipulations to realign the spinal cord helping your body to release an anti-inflammatory that helps reduce inflammation and pain symptoms in the body.

3. Non-Invasive Treatment
Waiting too long after a car accident to seek treatment may leave you with surgery as the only option for recovery. However, when you find immediate medical attention, chiropractic care is an excellent alternative to surgery.

Most people do not want surgery, and it should be your very last resort, after you have tried everything else, like chiropractic care.

The non-invasive chiropractic adjustments realign the spine and joints significantly reducing pain and promoting healing without the need for surgery.

4. Reduces Scar Tissue
Scar tissue can develop on the muscles inside the body after a car accident injury occurs. This tissue will cause the victim to feel uncomfortable and stiff.

A chiropractic doctor can specifically target the damaged areas, breaking up the scar tissue faster than just letting it heal on its own.

This will ensure that the injured person feels better and heals properly at a much faster rate then if they avoid treatment altogether.

5. Pain Relief Without the Use of Drugs
Many people involved in a car accident will just take pain relief drugs because they think that will make them better, and it probably creates symptomatic relief for a short period. However, drugs only mask the symptoms of injury they don’t actually heal the damage itself.

Pain relief drug medication can also be extremely addictive, and a lot of people think they will just take it until they feel better only to realize they do not want to stop and when they do, withdrawal symptoms can occur.

Chiropractic care offers pain relief without the use of drugs or addictive medications. Chiropractic therapy also addresses the injury at the source of the problem, healing the actual injury and not just masking the pain.

6. Reduces Pain Throughout the Entire Body
Chiropractic adjustments after a car accident are known to reduce pain in the entire body because of a pain-reducing hormone that is released during the spinal manipulations.

These hormones help the injured area that was affected after the accident to feel less painful as well as helping to improve other areas of the body that may have been feeling pain before the crash.

7. Avoid Long-Term Pain
Minor car accident injuries can become serious long-term problems if the conditions are left untreated.

For example, symptoms of whiplash can continue for years if you fail to seek proper medical care and can become a chronic condition that leads to emotional anguish as well as physical.

Seeing a chiropractor immediately after your accident will help to avoid long-term, chronic pain conditions from developing. Your doctor will be able to diagnose and treat your injury before it has the chance to manifest into a much larger problem.

8. Restores Range of Motion
If you suffer a neck or back injury in a car wreck, the inflammation that occurs can cause even more problems. Your blood and nutrients will not be able to make to the areas they need to go because the inflammation will be slowing the healing process.

When you receive a chiropractic adjustment, it will mobilize your spine, restoring range of motion and allowing the body to begin the natural healing process at a much faster rate.

Call us today at 609 672 0324 if you were involved in a recent motor vehicle accident. We can help!!

09/15/2024

https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2014/13_0390.htm

National nutrition guidelines emphasize consumption of powerhouse fruits and vegetables (PFV), foods most strongly associated with reduced chronic disease risk; yet efforts to define PFV are lacking. This study developed and validated a classification scheme defining PFV as foods providing, on avera...

09/11/2024

How Chiropractic Care Improves Your Posture

Do you slouch or hunch over? Over time, poor posture can lead to back and neck pain and may even permanently alter the curvature of your spine. Fortunately, your chiropractor offers treatments that will help you stand tall.

The Effects of Poor Posture

Poor posture can cause these health issues:

Pain. Poor posture doesn't just affect your back and neck. When your body isn't properly aligned, pain can occur in your upper shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, and feet.
Muscle Strains. Your muscles may become tighter as your body struggles to adjust to your new posture. Eventually, this can increase your risk for muscle strains.
Headaches. Do you often have a headache at the end of the day? Hunching over your desk stresses muscles and tissues in your neck and upper back, increasing your risk for headaches.
Wear and Tear. Poor posture causes excessive wear and tear on your joints and the discs that cushion your spine.
Flexibility Issues. Tight muscles and tissues may affect your flexibility and the range of motion in your joints.
Injuries. Poor posture creates imbalances throughout your body. For example, the muscles on one side of your body may become weaker, while those on the other side become too strong. These issues may make it easier to lose your balance, increasing your risk of falls, strains, sprains, and broken bones.
Breathing Problems. If you've noticed that it's harder to take deep breaths lately, the problem could be related to your posture. Rounding your shoulders and hunching over restricts the movement of the diaphragm and rib cage, which may affect breathing.
Heartburn. Your heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms may be related to your poor posture. Pressure on the stomach caused by slouching can push stomach acids into your esophagus, triggering heartburn.
Improve Your Posture with Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic care can help you:

Realign Your Spine. It's difficult to maintain good posture when the vertebrae, the small bones in your back and neck, aren't properly aligned. Misalignments, or subluxations, can occur due to falls, injuries, repetitive movements, or heavy lifting. Chiropractors use spinal manipulation to realign the vertebrae, improve your posture, enhance range of motion and flexibility, increase blood flow, relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and decrease pressure on nerves and joints.
Loosen Tight Tissues. You may not be able to stand or sit up straight if your muscles, soft tissues, ligaments, and tendons are tight. Although spinal manipulation decreases pressure on these structures by correctly aligning your vertebrae, other therapies, like massage, soft tissue mobilization, and ultrasound therapy are also helpful. These treatments loosen tight tissues, relieve pain, and promote healing. Massage also jumpstarts your body's natural pain relief system by increasing the production of pain-relieving hormones.
Reduce Wear and Tear. Treatments help you reduce your risk of herniated discs or osteoarthritis due to posture-related wear and tear. If you already have these conditions, treatments can reduce pressure on discs and arthritic joints.
Strengthen Your Muscles. Strong muscles are essential for your posture. Chiropractic treatment restores balance to your body, making it possible to strengthen weak muscles with exercise and stretches.
Prevent Injuries. When you're hurt, concerns about your posture fade. Chiropractic care helps you avoid sprains, strains, and other injuries by keeping your joints and bones properly aligned. Treatments improve muscle efficiency and balance and reduce stress on ligaments, tendons, soft tissues, muscles, and joints.
Improve Foot Issues. Your feet support your body and play an important role in good posture and alignment. Issues like excessive pronation (feet turning too far inward), supination (rolling feet too far outward), flat feet, or high arches may affect your posture. Luckily, your chiropractor offers custom orthotics that will address these issues and help you improve your posture. Orthotics are custom-designed shoe inserts that cushion, align and support your feet.
In addition to its posture benefits, chiropractic care could help you avoid heartburn discomfort. Chiropractic care improved posture issues and GERD symptoms in a 35-year-old woman in a case study reported in Clinics and Practice. The woman developed upper cross syndrome, a posture-related condition that causes the head and shoulders to move forward due to imbalances in the shoulder, neck, and chest muscles.

Her posture, pain, and GERD symptoms improved after receiving massage and cervical (neck) adjustments. At the woman's nine-month follow-up appointment, researchers noted her posture was fully restored.

Chiropractic treatment could be just as helpful for your posture problems. Contact our office to schedule an appointment with the chiropractor.

Sources:

NCBI: Clinics and Practice: Resolution of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Following Correction for Upper Cross Syndrome - A Case Study and Brief Review, 6/2021

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8161447/

American Chiropractic Association: Maintaining Good Posture

https://www.acatoday.org/patients/posture/

Harvard Health Publishing: 3 Surprising Risks of Poor Posture, 7/20/2023

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/3-surprising-risks-of-poor-posture #

Posture problems can lead to back pain, poor balance, headaches, and breathing difficulties. Poor posture can also promote incontinence, constipation, and heartburn....

05/08/2024

Long-Term Benefits of Chiropractic Adjustments

Chiropractic treatments improve pain and help you recover from injuries. Visits to the chiropractor also offer lesser-known long-term benefits.

Pain Control for Chronic Conditions

Chiropractic adjustments keep the vertebrae in the spine properly aligned, which reduces pain, enhances joint flexibility, loosens tight tissues, and decreases inflammation. Adjustments take seconds and involve quick pressure that moves the vertebrae back into their normal position.

Visiting the chiropractor on a regular basis can help you keep these and other painful conditions under control:

Arthritis
Bulging or Herniated Discs
Tennis or Golf Elbow
Bursitis
Spinal Stenosis
Sciatica
Plantar Fasciitis
Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ)
Fibromyalgia
Scoliosis
Nerve Pain
Chronic Back or Neck Pain
Better Nerve Health

Adjustments can also improve nerve function by decreasing pressure on nerves by misaligned vertebrae, tight tissues, or bulging discs. Good nerve function is essential for normal organ function and also helps your immune system work efficiently.

No Insomnia

Sleeping is difficult when you're in pain. Chiropractic adjustments relieve pain, helping you get the sleep you need. Adjustments also prompt your body to produce serotonin and endorphins, hormones that ease pain, reduce stress, and help you feel calm and ready for a good night's sleep.

Fewer Headaches and Migraines

Do you struggle with migraines or tension headaches? Adjustments, massage, and other treatments can reduce the intensity of your headaches and decrease the number of days you experience headaches or migraines each month. In a research study published in the European Journal of Neurology in 2017, participants who received cervical (neck) spinal manipulation saw significant improvements in migraine intensity and improved scores on the headache disability index compared to the control group.

Improved Control of Chronic Health Problems

Chiropractic could help you manage your chronic health condition or diseases. Do you have asthma and feel like you can't breathe as deeply as you would like? Spinal manipulation may offer relief by loosening tight breathing muscles. Treatments also improve functioning of your gastrointestinal system and may relieve gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD) symptoms. Adjustments decrease pressure on nerves leading to the stomach and intestines, improving the function of the gastrointestinal system.

Flexible Joints and Tissues

Adjustments help your joints, muscles, and tissues move freely and easily. Poor flexibility or range of motion due to misaligned vertebrae or tight tissues increases your risk of injury and can affect your balance. Chiropractic treatments keep your joints and tissues limber, helping you avoid painful falls, strains, and sprains.

Better Sports Performance

Professional athletes, like Seattle Mariner's first baseman Ty France, rely on chiropractors to improve their performance. When a spinal misalignment, or subluxation, made turning his neck difficult, France turned to chiropractic care for relief. The subluxation caused him to open his shoulders when swinging the bat, according to a July 25, 2023 sportskeeda article. A chiropractic adjustment and advice from a hitting coach improved France's form.

Adjustments could be just as beneficial to your sports performance. Misaligned vertebrae can lead to imbalances that affect speed, fluid movements, balance, and reaction time. Regular adjustments correct subluxations, ease aches and pains, and ensure that you're able to compete at the highest level.

Posture Correction

Poor posture stresses your neck and spine, causing pain. Unfortunately, it's difficult to improve your posture when your muscles and tissues are tight and your vertebrae are misaligned. Monthly visits to the chiropractor eliminate tightness and misalignments, making it easier to maintain good posture.

No Text Neck Pain

Do you use a laptop, desktop, tablet, or phone for work or fun? Looking down at your device strains the neck, shoulders, and upper back, causing text neck symptoms, like pain, headaches, sore muscles, muscle spasms, and numbness and tingling in your hands and fingers. Eventually, text neck may cause disc degeneration or a hump on your back. Fortunately, chiropractic adjustments, massage, trigger therapy and other treatments can help you avoid the long-term complications of text neck. Your chiropractor can also show you exercises to strengthen your neck and back and offer posture suggestions.

Radiology Case Reports noted how successful chiropractic treatment was for a YouTuber with text neck. After nine months of adjustments and traction therapy, the young man experienced improvements in neck curvature and muscle tension.

Would you like to take advantage of the benefits of chiropractic adjustments? Contact our office to make an appointment.

Sources:

NCBI: Radiology Case Reports: Preventing the Progression of Text Neck in a Young Man: A Case Report, 3/2022

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8784282/

Sportskeeda: Fact Check: Did a Chiropractor Fix Ty France's Swing? Mariners Slugger Reveals Surprising Tweak to His Game, 7/25/2023

https://www.sportskeeda.com/baseball/news-fact-check-did-chiropractor-fix-ty-france-s-swing-mariners-slugger-reveals-surprising-tweak-game

European Journal of Neurology: Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation Therapy for Migraine: A Three-Armed, Single-Blinded, Placebo, Randomized Controlled Trial, 1/2017

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27696633/

Cleveland Clinic: Chiropractic Adjustment, 4/25/2022

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21033-chiropractic-adjustment

Chiropractic adjustments are joint and spine manipulations that help ease body pain. It can relieve headaches, neck and back pain and joint and muscle stress.