Verified By Apollo Doctors May 21, 2021
6719Usually, people refer to an annoying situation or person as a ‘pain in the neck.’ But you might not be inclined to making such observations when you physically experience neck pain. It is irritating and uncomfortable and can affect your lifestyle, causing you to refrain from some of your daily activities. There are various reasons for neck pain, but the recent phenomenon of using a smartphone extensively may be affecting your neck muscles, causing stiffness and pain with every movement.
Technology is a blessing. And today, work and entertainment are impossible without the ubiquitous smartphone. Try as you might, you cannot throw your phone away and return to the old ways now.
Holding the phone against the crick of your neck and talking for hours is quite common. Sadly, it comes with some not-so-pleasant consequences. The strain occurs from maintaining this posture without respite. Using your smartphone without a break can cause a niggling neck pain that persists unless you seek treatment. Also referred to as a tech neck or text neck, this type of injury is becoming increasingly common. You may feel a slight pain every now and then, and ignoring it will likely aggravate the condition.
Do You Need to Visit a Doctor for Neck Pain?
Do not ignore the condition if the pain becomes excruciating and affects your daily activities. Visit the doctor if the pain becomes frequent and you have severe headaches regularly. Do seek urgent medical attention if you think the pain is moving down towards your arms and hands.
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You may want some relief from the pain you experience. Doctors suggest the application of an ice or heat pack over the area to alleviate the discomfort. Some of the other treatments worth trying include:
Avoiding smartphones or handheld devices is impossible today. Unfortunately, smartphones can cause neck pain. While it is rarely serious, doctors recommend limiting the use of mobile phones and regular physical exercises while maintaining the right posture. OTC medications provide quick pain relief to most patients.
You may be suffering pain due to the excessive use of mobile phones, especially if you keep looking down at the screen. Maintain the right posture and hold the phone at eye level if you need to use it.
You need not speak on your phone for hours to develop neck pain. Instead, staring at your phone’s screen continuously when texting and browsing the internet results in a hunched position that puts pressure on your neck and back muscles. The lowered gaze and rounded shoulders affect the muscles and irritate the nerve endings. You experience pain as a result of this.
This is a stress injury of the neck muscles caused by the overuse of handheld devices, such as smartphones and tabs. It causes you to look down at the screen for long hours at a stretch. While the term text neck denotes texting, this condition can be related to all kinds of activities performed with the aid of a mobile device.
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March 8, 2023