The advent of mobile devices has opened doors to even more rapid communications. But they also have influenced increased amounts of headaches, neck pains, achy shoulders and consultations with people who hold physical therapy jobs, according to a published report.
"Text Neck" is the name physical therapists have given to the scourge caused by leaning over tables, demonstrating poor posture in a chair, curvature in shoulders and tilted head, CNN reports. If the pain has not yet manifested, chances are it will, for which physical therapists will be ready.
"Text Neck is not just a texting problem. Text neck is a gaming problem. Text neck is an e-mailing problem," Dr. Dean Fishman told the news source, noting he coined that phrase in 2008 when he was examining a 17-year-old who later was hunched over her cellular phone. "I knew I had something."
The human head on average weighs 10 pounds but for each inch one tilts forward, the application of pressure on the spine doubles. Looking at a cell phone in one's lap could feel like as much as 30 pounds of pressure on the neck.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, physical therapists help patients alleviate pain and enhance movement after injuries, illness and surgery.