Tech is turning millennials into a generation of hunchbacks
Tech
is turning millennials into a generation of hunchbacks
For
years, Charles Youn, 29, suffered from upper-back pain and neck soreness that
made him hunch his shoulders and caused him to wake up numerous times
throughout every night. He was in pain and constantly fatigued, drinking too
much coffee to combat the sluggishness.
“I
learned to live with it,” says Youn, who works in development for leadership
nonprofit Outward Bound and lives on the Upper East Side. “My upper back and
neck would be so tight. My neck was always bent forward, and I just thought
that’s how it was going to be.”
‘We’re seeing it in younger and younger
children because they’re getting their phones at a younger age.’
This
past fall, Youn consulted with chiropractor Dr. Christian Kang, who has a
practice in the Flatiron District and explained he was holding his problem in
the palms of his hands: his laptop and iPhone were causing his pain.
Youn
suffers from “tech neck,” or forward head syndrome, a painful, increasingly
common condition caused by slumping over devices for hours a day that leads the
neck to lose its natural curve — and triggers a physiological imbalance in the
upper body. Previously seen in middle-aged-or-older desk jockeys and dentists
who hunch over patients, it’s now materializing in younger generations who grew
up with smart phones, tablets and other personal devices.
“Now,
20-year-olds have the spine health of a 30- or 40-year-old. It’s an epidemic,”
says Kang.
Dr.
Brian Wallace, a chiropractor based in Bernardsville, NJ, says he’s witnessing
the same thing at his practice. “We’re seeing it in younger and younger
children because they’re getting their phones at a younger age,” he says. “It’s
one of the most common things we see.” According to a 2016 study by the
research firm Influence Central, the average age at which an American child
gets their first smartphone is 10.3 years.
As the posture worsens, the
upper back muscles stretch out, while the muscles in the front of the body
become weaker and the neck creeps forward, which can make the head feel at
least 10 pounds heavier than it is. Not only does it cause structural problems
in the neck and back; Wallace says it can also spark breathing and panic
issues.
“When
you have that forward-rolled posture, it has a profound impact on the
breathing. Children have become shallow breathers, which then affects anxiety
levels because your nervous system can’t function properly,” says Wallace,
adding that medical issues such as asthma and allergies can develop.
Dr.
Vito Minervini, a chiropractor based in Rockaway, NJ, says young women are
particularly susceptible to the condition because they have lower muscle
density in their upper body area.
“It’s
bad all around, but guys can take it more because they have more musculature,”
says Minervini.
Sania
Khiljee, a Houston-based entrepreneur and blogger, knows this all too well. The
27-year-old founder of Bumble Brain Box, a subscription box service focused on
child development, saw her body simply give out as her business began to take
off two years ago.
“I
was literally looking down at my phone and laptop for hours every single day.
Two of my discs got herniated and it pushed into nerves and then the muscles in
my shoulders got really hard,” says Khiljee.
Khiljee’s
doctors were explicit: Her tech overuse was fueling the frightening breakdown.
“It’s
hard to explain, but my neck couldn’t support the weight of my head. I had no
mobility.” She desperately sought out solutions, including forsaking a
comfortable bed. “My bed was too soft, so I slept on the floor for months.”
“I’m
not fully over it yet, but I’m finally recovering,” says Khiljee, who realized
she wasn’t alone when she posted about her health woes on Facebook.
“I
had about 100 comments of people saying they had the same issues,” she says.
“It was all people my age.”
But
iPhone-obsessed millennials poring over Instagram and Snapchat all day don’t
want to admit that their precious electronic lifelines might be detrimental to
their health.
Minervini
says his office is a revolving door of denial. Patients come in for neck pain
and balk at the suggestion that it’s a technology issue.
“They’ll
say, ‘I don’t know where this pain is coming from,’ and it’s a completely ridiculous
statement. You [see] them hunched over their phones in the waiting room.”
Chiropractor
Christian Kang says he often uses it on patients with tech neck for 10-20
minutes two or three times a week.
He’s become the office
posture police.
“I
have patients coming in with their kids and every kid is out in the waiting
room with some sort of device in a crappy posture. I go out and yell at them
all the time — and they aren’t even my patients. It’s not a natural position
and you’ll destroy your spine, eventually.”
Undoing
the damage is a process that includes breaking bad habits, taking standing
breaks and doing exercises such as yoga, foam rolling and stretches that
promote good carriage and strengthen core and upper body muscles. Experts also
advise patients to hold mobile devices with their elbows at 180 degrees so the
screen is in front of their faces.
Minervini
says early intervention is key to combating a lifetime of debilitating health
issues.
‘“You
have to be cognizant of your crappy habits and work against them.”
Youn,
for one, regrets all the time he spent slumped over his phone. He began seeing
Kang for spinal adjustments and exercises to combat his rolled shoulders. After
36 sessions, his posture has improved, he feels taller and there’s been a
reduction in pain.
Plus,
he’s now sleeping soundly.
“I
wish I had more education on this as a teen. Knowing all this would prevent a
lot of stress for people in their 20s,” says Youn. “I’ve become a posture
ambassador now.”
In addition to workouts such
as yoga and pilates, which can help strengthen the core and improve posture,
this 10-minute routine is good for prevention and reversal of “tech neck” pain.
Try
doing it during a break at work. “All of these exercises can be done in a chair
or standing in front of your computer screen,” says Roland Rodriguez, a
physical therapist at Atlantic Physical Therapy Center in Toms
River, NJ.
Chin glide
“It’s
the exact counter to the tech-neck symptoms of rounded shoulders and a forward
neck,” says Rodriguez.
Stand
up or sit tall in a chair and look directly forward. While keeping the chin
level, shift the head backwards for five seconds and then return to the
original position.
Do
one set of 15 reps.
Upper trapezius stretch
“This
stretches out the shoulder muscles that contract when you’re on a mouse or
looking at a computer screen,” he says.
Sit
facing forward. Place the right hand on the head so that the ends of the
fingers extend toward the left ear. Then place the left hand under the left
buttocks, sitting on the hand. Use the right hand to pull the head gently down,
moving the right ear towards the right shoulder, until a stretch is felt on the
left side of the neck. Hold for 30 seconds and gently release. Return to
starting position. Repeat on left side.
Do
each side three times.
Pectoral stretch
“The
pecs and shoulders get really tight with tech neck, so this goes in the
opposite direction and stretches and extends the lumbar spine,” says Rodriguez.
Stand
up straight and tuck in the chin. Raise both arms and clasp the hands at the
base of the skull with the elbows pointing out to both sides. Pull the elbows
back as far as you can and hold the position for 30 seconds.
Do
one set of 10 reps.
Capular retraction with
external rotation
“With
typical tech-neck posture, the shoulder blades round and separate from each
other. This pulls them back together,” says Rodriguez.
Stand
tall with your chin tucked in and your arms at your sides, palms facing
forward. Retract your scapulae by pulling the shoulder blades closer together
and down (shoulders should not move upward toward the ears with this movement).
Keeping the elbows straight and turn the palms and arms away from the body so
that the thumbs are pointing backward. Hold for 10 seconds and return to the
original position.
Do
one set of 10 reps.
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