How many people do you see every day looking down into their mobile phones? How many times are you doing it? And does your neck hurt more than usual? Massage therapists are treating “text neck” in offices, at events and individually more than ever before. It’s a condition of our modern age of technology so it’s not surprising that neck injury massage is on the rise.

Recent research from Sweden has solved the mystery of why doctors are seeing so many young people suffering from upper back and neck pain yet they don’t seem to be injured in any way. The study conducted over a 5 year period had over 7,000 participants. It concluded that the pain experienced by these young people correlated with excessive texting

What causes text neck?

Staying in the same position for extended periods of time will affect the spine no matter what you are doing.  Specific to mobile or smartphone use, text neck is caused by looking down and putting pressure on the intervertebral discs.  Straining muscles causes pain in most activities and texting achieves this causing pain at the back of the neck.

So far the research has not discovered if the spine degenerates earlier than would be expected because of smartphone activity.

How neck massage helps

Prevention is far better than cure.  Being aware that your texting activities can cause you harm is an important step in preventing it.

When you neck is held in the same position constantly you can be certain it will be painful. It may make texting slightly more difficult, but holding your mobile higher up will help.

If you are experiencing pain an ice pack applied to the area may ease it temporarily.  Some doctors favour heat and others ice, the latter being better since heat applied to an already inflamed area is not ideal.

Whilst not an injury in the normal sense of the word, when you have intervertebral disc pressure it certainly feels like an injury.  Neck injury massage provides a longer term solution particularly if carried out on a regular basis. A massage loosens the stressed muscles in the neck. Your massage therapist may well suggest some stretching exercises to do between massages.

Naturally if your neck pain is severe and persistent you should consult your GP to ensure that nothing more serious has occurred.

In Touch UK neck massage

Our fully qualified massage therapists go out every day to offices where neck massage is often the most in demand.

In conclusion we suggest that you text less or at least do it in a position that isn’t going to cause you discomfort.