Posture

Hi, I’m Lyndsey from My Mobile Physio and I want to talk to you about something I’ve been reading a lot about in the news recently ‘tech neck’.

Do you spend hours working at a computer? Are you guilty of spending much of the day slouched over and texting on your phone? Do you have neck pain that won’t go away? If any of this rings true with you then stay tuned as I’m going to give you some advice you can’t afford to miss!

For all that technology does for us, it has its downsides, and now it seems our love of all things electronic is damaging our health! ‘Text neck’ or ‘tech neck’ occurs due to the bad habit of bending the neck to look down at a phone or a computer. This posture applies additional weight on the spine and the excessive weight accelerates the wear and tear process, causing pain and degeneration in the neck.

So how can you prevent this? Here are my top tips!

1. Sit or stand up straight, pull your shoulders back slightly so you are not hunched over, and bring your phone up to eye level to avoid bending to read the screen.

2. Try to avoid typing long messages on your phone and use a computer for lengthy correspondence

3. Adjust your computer monitor so that it’s at eye level, this will stop you from straining your neck forwards and help you maintain a good posture.

4. Stay hydrated. The discs in your spine are made up mostly of water, so it is important you stay hydrated during the day to keep them pliable and healthy.

And finally!

5. Exercise regularly and focus on developing strong core muscles, which contribute to good posture. Pilates is a great solution to creating a beautiful posture.

Thanks for listening today and I hope those tips come in useful! If you, a friend or family member, or even a patient are having problems with neck pain or need to improve posture and core stability with pilates, please give us a call on 1300 79 12 49 or go to our website www.mymobilephysio.com.au to find out how we can help.