Heads up texters

In this article, we’re going to dive into the biomechanics of the head and neck and find how the angle of your dome influences the neck and back. Let’s head on!

The average human ‘noggin’ makes up about 6% of your total body weight (2). That means if a typical population is studied, the head weighs between 10-12 lbs (1). Neupane et al. completed a systematic review on how the angle of the head increases strain on the muscles and increases the load of force though the spine. They found that when the head is at a neutral posture, with the ears over the shoulders, the muscles balance out the forces to about zero. When you hear your phone’s notification and look down 15 degrees to check it, the forces at the base of the neck amplify to 2.25x the weight of the head. Taking that average cranium weight, it would be as though the head weighs around 27 lbs (1). When looking down just 45 degrees, the forces multiply 4x and leave the head feeling like it weighs 59 lbs on the neck (1)!

... have you changed your neck position yet?

In our modern day of phones, smart watches, and laptops, we are seeing an anatomical change in how people sit and stand. This phenomenon has been nicknamed “text-neck” (1). I would love to say that it’s only by our phones but we see similar changes in the shoulders and neck for those at a desk. This prolonged posture creates motor patterns of weak muscles that fight with tight muscles (1,2). Often, the deep neck flexors and back muscles become very weak while the shoulders and chest muscles become tight (2). This produces a forward head and shoulder position and changes how the upper and lower spine move (2). Since the texters, slouchers, and office workers are similar in nature and causality, these positional strains were lumped together as “postural syndromes”.

The good news is that there are very easy fixes to reverse the poor biomechanics... and that is to change the biomechanics. Simply put, by holding your phone up to shoulder height to check messages or scroll instagram, the neck is held in a more neutral posture. This puts less strain on the neck and reduces fatigue in those muscles. You can also raise your monitor height to eye level and bring your shoulders back to reduce the forward desk position. If you want more specific movements and exercises, give these few a whirl:

1. Chin tucks

   1. Tuck your chin by completing a “double chin” movement

   2. Be sure that the head doesn’t just tilt down but moves back

      1. You should feel the muscles in the front of your neck contract

   3. Hold for 20 seconds or 3 big breaths

2. Scapular retractions/rows

   1. When completing a shoulder retraction, pretend that you have to squeeze something between your shoulder blades and hold it there

   2. Rows are a great weighted exercise doing that same shoulder blade squeezing motion

      1. Grab a weight and lean over to lift it against gravity

      2. Lower your shoulder away from the ear and concentrate on firing the upper back muscles to bring that shoulder blade back and lift the weight up to the chest

      3. Repeat 10-15 times with a light weight for endurance or 3-8 times with a heavier weight for strength

3. Weighted swimmers

   1. Using an exercise ball, place your chest on the ball and balance on the knees or the toes

   2. Hold on to a light weight (1-3 lbs) or a large can of soup in each hand

   3. Bring your shoulders down and back to fire the muscles of the back

   4. Complete a breast stroke or a front crawl motion as if you are swimming

   5. Repeat using a slow and controlled manner for 2 minutes

Watch your position, listen to your body,

Dr. Cole Maranger DC

Articles:

Neupane et al., 2017. Text Neck Syndrome Systematic Review. Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research. Retrieved from: https://www.academia.edu/34770472/Text_Neck_Syndrome_Systematic_Review

Szczygieł, E. 2015. Biomechanical influences on head posture and the respiratory movements of the chest. Acta Bioeng Biomech. Retrieved from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26415553/