How Do You Know if You Suffer from “Text Neck” or “Mouse Shoulders?”

We all know the benefits of living in a computer and cellphone era. It allows us to easily access information at our fingertips, communicate effectively and multitask at our jobs. Unfortunately, these benefits can also have a downside to our physical well-being. Many computer and cellphones users suffer from a host of muscular skeletal disorders such as frozen shoulder, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome and back pain. Doctors have recently coined the expression “text neck” and “mouse shoulder” to describe the habitual cellphone texting and keyboarding on a computer. Hyperkyphosis, also commonly seen in this population is where the person’s upper back curves forward, the shoulders are rounded inward and the neck protrude out. This occurs from sitting for a long period of time in slouching posture. When you look at a screen all day, the muscles in the front of the chest, shoulder and neck become shorten and fatigued, while the contrasting muscles in the back are lengthen and weak.

The role of the massage therapist is to relax and lengthen the person’s tight pectoralis muscles of the chest and strengthens and relieves muscle spasm in the often-knotted Trapezius muscles. On-site chair massage or full body therapeutic massage can address these and other health concern in the workplace.  Studies show that employees who receive massage regularly are not only less stressed and in better mood but are more alert and cognitively sharper thinkers.

In addition to regularly getting a massage, it is important for computer users to frequently get up and stretch their muscles. One way to treat achy shoulder pain from mouse and keyboard over use is to do this great exercise.

Place your right arm behind your back and grasp your wrist with your left hand. Take a deep slow breath in and on the exhale, bend your neck sideways to the left while pulling your right arm. Hold the stretch for 10 to 15 seconds and repeat on the other side for a cycle of at least 3 times.