Humans seem to be predisposed to poor posture when interacting with electronics: slumping in front of the computer, slouching in front of the television, and now stooping over our cell phones. Through excessive cell phone use, we are subconsciously sentencing our spines to precipitous degradation. At Associates in Chiropractic, we are spreading the word of awareness when it comes to this phenomenon, hoping to prevent it from predominating in spines of all ages.

Spines are not thankful for screens. Teens and young adults must take this issue seriously: there are not many more harmful detriments to a developing spine than persistent poor posture. When texting or browsing on cell phones, keep neutral posture in mind: shoulders pulled back, head facing forward, standing upright and balanced. If this means you must raise the cell phone to eye level to send a message, then so be it; staring down at your waist is putting exponentially more pressure on the neck and shoulder muscles, causing them to degrade over time.

If possible, change positions every so often. Lying down and sitting (in proper posture) change the monotony of muscle stress, bringing other muscles into play to account for the burden. If the thought strikes you, simple flexion and extension exercises can be performed periodically to relieve tension.

Try to discipline yourself to not have the phone in your hand at all times. For some, cell phone use is too cemented into the structure of their lifestyle. If you fear that it may be having an effect on your spine, call our office in Hackensack at (201) 342-6111 to schedule an appointment. Besides counseling on posture, we offer chiropractic treatment to reverse the effects of heavy cell phone use.

Dr. Albert Stabile, D.C., C.C.P.C.P., F.I.C.C.