Are you using your mobile device the right way?
Most of us aren’t. Most people are head down, mobile device down. The same goes for reading magazines and books. This can hurt your neck. The head forward and bent position puts an immense pressure on two vertebrae and the disc in between them. If the head is in the upright position, the weight of the head is distributed through the seven neck (cervical) vertebrae. Unfortunately, over time the discs decay (usually between the 5th and 6th vertebrae), and chronic muscle tightness and pain results.
What should you do?
Get those heads up! Hold your mobile device up at eye level. We know you look funny doing it, but it’s worth it. So the next time you are out in public and your family members are all hunched over their cellphones, tell them, “Hold those phones up! You’re squashing your discs and potentially squeezing your nerves!”
Translation: You will thank me one day.
Fun Tech & Health Facts
- A leading 19th century authority on head and brain injuries was Sir Henry Head. A biography of Henry Head was published in 1961 by the British neurologist Russell Brain.
- The spine has 33 irregularly shaped bones called vertebrae.
- Although a giraffe’s neck is 1.5–1.8 meters in length, it contains the same number of vertebrae as a human neck. All mammals have seven neck vertebrae, no matter how long or short their necks are. It’s not the number of bones, but the size of the bones that is different.
Dr. Roy Siegel (Doctor of Chiropractic and Diplomate, American Board of Chiropractic Orthopedics) is an esteemed chiropractor and lecturer. He is an expert on low back pain and sciatica, prevention and treatment of dance and running injuries, as well as nutrition. Siegel has been interviewed by national news channels and published in recognizable publications including “O, The Oprah Magazine,” “Redbook” and Time-Life series.
The Tech & Health column will be a regular feature in Hospitality Upgrade. If you have a question you would like Dr. Roy to answer please email it to info@hospitalityupgrade.com.
