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It seems ironic that this blog is being written on a laptop! But with technology being such a huge part of our everyday lives, we thought it was an important topic to explore.

Adults spend an average of eight hours and 41 minutes per day using media devices. This is really put into context when we compare this to the eight hours and 21 minutes we spend sleeping… can we really be spending twenty minutes more per day using technology than sleeping?

Television, smart phone, radio, tablet, laptop, game devices, smart watch… the technology really adds up! These hours spent texting, chatting, typing, gaming and watching are having an impact on our health in many ways. The World Health Organization (WHO) has just recognized ‘Gaming Disorder’, where individuals become addicted to computer games, as a new disease. This is really scary stuff!

Spending so much time sitting down in front of screens is contributing to the rise in obesity and the chance of developing type two diabetes. It also means that we are adopting unnatural postures which can lead to stiffness and pain. From slouching on the sofa when watching the television to the “chin on your chest” position we use when on our phones, we could be unknowingly worsening our health.

What is Tech Neck?

‘Tech Neck’ is a condition where individuals suffer neck / upper back pain due to the postural changes associated with increased use of electronic devices; most commonly iPhones, iPads and laptops.

The postures adopted while using these gadgets, especially for a prolonged period of time, causes an increase in the amount of tension placed upon the spine.

By spending too much time looking down towards our devices we are actually reducing the inwards curvature of the neck. Why is this important, you may ask? The inwards ‘lordotic’ curve of the neck allows it to act as a shock absorber, equally spreading pressure through the spine rather than all on one area. By reducing or even reversing this curvature, stresses build up on tissues which cannot cope, leading to injury and pain.

How does using electronic devices lead to neck pain?

Poor posture leads to unequal distribution of load on the spine and over time will lead to joint pain and muscular tension. When you next pick up your phone to send a text message or go to browse Facebook look to see how you are sitting. You will find that:

1)      You will tuck your chin towards your chest.

2)      Your head will move forward.

3)      Your shoulders will start to round.

Adopting this posture causes the supportive muscles of the neck to fatigue and weaken. The muscles can no longer effectively support the joints, spinal discs and nerves in the neck and the chance of suffering an injury significantly increases.

When we are looking forward and the head is kept in the ideal, neutral position, the weight of the average head is 4.5-5Kg. This increased forward leaning position causes tightness of the muscles through the chest and front of the neck while causing weakness in the muscles under the chin and in between the shoulder blades. This causes our posture to progressively worsen. Poorer posture = weaker stabilization muscles = further postural deterioration. A very vicious cycle!

Recognize the symptoms

‘Tech neck’ can result in an ache in your neck spreading downwards towards the shoulder blades, tightness in the base of the skull and even pins and needles or numbness into the arms. Certain types of headache can also start to develop.

Depending on which device you use and when, you may notice a pattern of when your symptoms worsen. For instance, if you have an office job spending lots of time on a computer, your pain may worsen over the week but ease at the weekend when you are more active.

Conversely, you may find that during the weekend you have more spare time to play computer games or browse the internet on your phone so may suffer more during your time off.

What can I do?

Alter your environment

Making small changes such as a supportive work chair, sitting upright in an armchair rather than lying on the sofa, or introducing a new habit of stretching and walking around during add breaks could make all the difference. Aiming to keep the device that you are using at eye level is also a great place to start.

Change your attitude towards technology

We know that it is unrealistic to ask people to do a technology-detox; our devices are so engrained in to our daily living. But perhaps we can change the way we think about our technology use. Consider how we view sugary desserts; an indulgent treat which can be enjoyed as part of a varied diet and alongside exercise. Can we think of technology in the same way… as something to be enjoyed in moderation alongside an active lifestyle?

 Make technology work for you

Another idea is to use the fantastic tools offered by technology to improve your health, rather than damage it. Your smart phone likely has a pedometer built in to count the steps you do each day, or can easily be paired with a watch with similar functions. Audio books, which can be downloaded cheaply and simply, are an excellent way to get your technology hit whilst on the go – learn a new language, listen to an autobiography or get hooked by the latest crime-thriller while finding the Thomas Keller in yourself as you cook up a culinary masterpiece!

Get help sooner rather than later

When an issue arises from poor posture, the muscles around an aggravated joint will tighten to protect the area. Over time, this tightness can pull a spinal joint further out of alignment and worsen the problem. Chiropractic adjustments will realign the joints of the spine and allow the muscles to relax and return to a normal tone. Seeing your chiropractor earlier will reduce the number of treatments you will need and mean a faster recovery! Your chiropractor will also be able to help you improve any postural imbalances via rehabilitative exercises to reduce the chance of the issue reoccurring in the future.

Shoulder pain is incredibly common and too often left untreated, resulting in chronic pain and further tissue damage. The problem is, most people don’t know how to read their body in order to understand the cause of their symptoms. Massage therapy is great for relieving muscle tension. If massages are not working to ease shoulder pain however, chances are the problem lies deeper than the muscle.

Diagnosing shoulder pain based purely on symptoms is difficult to do, as the shoulder is a very complex area of the body. Another way of detecting an imbalance in your shoulder joints is simply looking in the mirror. If you regularly favor one arm over the other, for instance by using a computer mouse all day, you may notice that one shoulder is slightly pushed forward or misaligned.

A misaligned shoulder can cause further stress through physical activity and exercise. If you are performing exercises with uneven shoulders, you will be over-stressing one shoulder more than the other. In addition, you will be using the wrong muscles to complete the movements. Retraining muscles, physio and stretching will have little impact to rectify an imbalance if the nerve signals from the brain are not communicating effectively to the muscle group.

How do chiropractors treat shoulder pains?

If your shoulder pain is constant or recurring even after a massage, there is a strong possibility that the nerves controlling the shoulder muscles aren’t communicating properly with the brain due to a spinal subluxation (a misalignment of the vertebrae). Chiropractic focuses on releasing tension in the spinal nerves, allowing them to communicate naturally again with the rest of the body.

Often the area you are experiencing pain or imbalance is caused by a subluxation in a different part of the spine. Because of this, a Chiropractor will look at your spine as a whole, not just the area in which you have symptoms. They will examine your full range of movement in order to understand how every part of your body is working or not working together.

To treat shoulder pain, a Chiropractor will examine and adjust your spine to make sure that the nerves connected to your shoulder are functioning properly. They can also adjust the various joints that make up your shoulder complex. Although these adjustments may seem small, the effects of them can go a long way in restoring a normal range of motion to the muscles in your shoulder.

Aside from performing adjustments, a Chiropractor will also advise you on ways to maintain your overall spinal health. This advice may include suggested sleeping positions, posture while working and correct lifting procedures that will avoid putting strain on your shoulders.

Don’t put up with shoulder pain any longer. Contact us today, to begin your journey towards better health for tomorrow.

Vehicle crashes are common all over the world and more so in the US. Each and everyday people we know and even our own selves are definitely subjected to the hazard. Presume you are caught up in a vehicle crash what you decide to do might considerably impact your overall health and the rest of your life. Agony should certainly not come to be the new standard after a personal injury. Whenever you are gripped in a road accident extensive examination from specialized experts needs to be considered a very first top priority.
Regaining your standard health condition and working ability may necessitate the requirement to visit Chiropractic specialists. They are people who diligently diagnose injuries that are not common as well as deliver undivided attention. These are professionals who go through a vigorous training within a diagnostic screening of soft tissue injuries. These experts offer treatment to automobile accident patients who desire chiropractic treatment method to aid their recovery. Chiropractors might include both physical therapy and also medical massage in their treatments.

Why you should pay a visit to a chiropractic doctor when it comes to auto accident injuries treatment

Chiropractic doctors having knowledge of working with personal injury specialized lawyers might possibly help you get the compensation you require from your insurance provider as the standard of documentation they prepare from the injuries you sustain after a car accident is what the companies take into consideration.

Absorption from shock by bodies is simply always dependent on the magnitude of the car crash, whether minor or serious. The forces engaged may damage soft tissues and even disintegrate bones. Seeking chiropractic treatment exclusively developed from the nature of your car accident expedites need to recover entirely and also swiftly as achievable. A few of the evident and also extreme discomforts from motor vehicle collisions may incorporate back pain, chronic pain, as well as neck pain and ill-fated life altering spinal traumas, may be experienced. Throughout numerous instances, individuals who struggle with a severe pain are provided treatments with pain medications. These treatment methods only decrease the pain rather than eliminating it. Doing this leaves the cause of the pain untouched.

Chiropractic treatments are usually designed not really to focus on the symptoms but the main cause of the pain. Through an extensive exam of your physical health and wellness, the appropriate prescription might be offered to help recover your normal motion as well as the original placement of bones in your spine. Suppose treatment is actually offered early enough controlling swelling becomes a very easy task and tissue scars are kept at the very least.

The chiropractic treatment method

There exist three phases that are followed in a chiropractic treatment solution, and an ideal therapy is applied in each of the stages. This is brought about by the requirement for everything to effectively work out since our bodies demand a certain treatment plan for it in order to mend itself fully and in a right manner. In the initial phase referred to as inflammation phase, the objectives are to lessen inflammation from the injuries you succumbed and also to reduce pain felt. Despite this, some individuals may not feel pain after a car accident, therefore, seeing no need to start the treatment process without having being informed that pain is actually a bad indicator of health and wellness, they think this way because these individuals think if they don’t feel pain then they are actually not injured.

The second phase described as repair phase the patient is taken through medical services which in turn may include chiropractic care treatment which offers support to tissues which are injured in making a comeback to their normal 3 ranges of motion. In this phase, the patient may be in need of exposure to exercise and stretches either at the center or maybe home.

In the third phase in which is additionally the final phase regarded as the healing phase, strength building, as well as damaged tissue elasticity, is actually greatly financed by means of therapy. Within this stage re-occurrence of symptoms as well as a probability of irreversible damage is reduced considerably.

All motor vehicle crash victims who experience injuries are placed on a treatment program that suits them best soon after a proper consultation which points out both the primary problems and the most responsive course of action that if taken complications can be scrubbed. This is actually borrowed from the fact that individual patients are unique as well as injuries experienced vary from one victim to another.