Chances are they do. And while technology in an of itself is not bad, the way we adapt to technology CAN be bad.
Let’s talk about physics very briefly. If your head weighs about 10 pounds, and it is sitting right on top of your shoulders, then your head is supported and your muscles don’t need to work hard to hold it in place. If your head is hanging forward then your neck and shoulder muscles have to work hard to hold it up, and your neck’s normal healthy curve is being reduced or reversed. That normal curve is designed to hold the head over the shoulders. If your kid has bad posture then that curve will suffer and neck pain and headaches will result.
I’m in my 30’s. I didn’t grow up with a phone. I used a computer a little bit, but not all day like today’s kids. This generation is going to be the first generation that has a degenerative spinal repetitive stress injury – a major postural nightmare – from technology. While all this tech is great and fun and we can all Twitter and Instagram and all that stuff, our physical reality is suffering. Sure, the virtual reality our kids live in may be tons of fun, but the real reality with physical consequences is still here and the phone/computer posture will need to be reckoned with at some point. The earlier the better! Not to sound apocalyptic or sensational, but there is no doubt that the long-term consequences of prolonged forward head posture will cause havoc in the head and neck, with headaches and shoulder pain becoming chronic and intractable.
Educate your kid about proper posture, about not being on the phone or computer too much, and about corrective exercises and about the signs of a developing problem. Some signs include:
- pain at the base of the skull
- shoulder pain
- pain around and behind the eyes
- pain, numbness or tingling in the arms or hands
- forward head posture
To check your kids posture, try one of two things:
- Have then stand with their back to the wall. Is the head against the wall? If it’s more than an inch off the wall, then it’s too far forward. Don’t explain what you are doing, just ask them to stand against the wall.
- Just observe them while on the phone or computer – if the hole in the ear is more than an inch or so forward of the bump at the tip of the shoulder, then it’s too far forward.
Questions or comments, just call the office!