It’s spreading from India to the British Isles, and it’s ready to jump the Atlantic to infect Americans with an unsightly condition.
If you love your cell phone or tablet, or are downright addicted, you may have to buy a lot of scarves and turtleneck sweaters to allay this condition, which is a lot more harmful to your image than to your health.
The scourge is the dreaded “tech neck” or “text neck” where people looking down at handheld devices in their hands are developing nasty neck wrinkles. Side effects also include wrinkled chins (yuck) and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Dean Fishman, DC, PA, of the Text Neck Institute says “it’s a global epidemic,” and that the pain that you feel with overuse of handheld electronics is “your body sending you a message.”
Besides the neck wrinkles, says Dr. Fishman, sufferers can also develop shoulder and arm discomfort and even back pain from the head being held at unnatural forward angles to the spine.
The good news is that workers can be instructed in exercises to strengthen muscles and improve posture to fight off text neck symptoms. And an app is available that emits a warning light or vibrates if you hold your phone at a dangerous-to-view angle.
That neck thing is kind of a relief–if more people get neck wrinkles, I won’t have to be so self-conscious about mine!