Up to 27 kilograms. This is the load applied to the cervical vertebrae when the head is tilted forward at an angle of about 60 degrees while reading WhatsApp or scrolling through TikTok. If you will, exactly the weight of an eight-year-old child sitting directly on the nape of your neck. This phenomenon already has an official name, and it concerns doctors and orthopedists all over the world – text neck syndrome.
At first it feels like mere mild discomfort in the nape of the neck, but without a change in habits, this staring can turn into irreversible chronic pain.
Why does this happen?
In a normal, upright position, the human head weighs around 5 kilograms. The cervical spine is shaped like the letter C to hold the weight easily and in perfect balance.
The problem begins the moment the head is tilted forward to read a message or scroll through the feed. The sharper the angle of the bend, the mechanical load on the neck muscles and ligaments skyrockets. Even at a 15-degree bend, when the phone is slightly below eye level, the load on the neck rises to 12 kg. The load increases as the bending of the neck deepens, up to a situation where the phone is on the legs, at about 60 degrees. Then the load on the neck almost doubles and reaches about 27 kg, 5 and even 8 times the original weight. The neck muscles stretch excessively and struggle to withstand the load. The pathological posture affects the cervical vertebrae and the discs between them.
The domino effect
The damages of the syndrome certainly do not stop at the neck:
Headaches and numbness in the hands: Contracted and tense neck muscles are one of the causes of severe headaches. In addition, pressure on the nerves in the cervical spine causes abnormal sensations along the arms such as tingling, numbness, and a burning sensation.
Stooped and closed posture: To compensate for the weight pulling the head forward, our shoulders collapse inward and the upper back rounds. The result is a slouched appearance, widespread back pain, and an increased risk of developing a hunchback (kyphosis).
The TikTok generation in danger
Today's children and teenagers are at the highest risk. Since their skeletal, muscular, and bone systems are still in growth stages, the poor posture habits they adopt in front of tablets and mobile phones could turn into permanent structural deformities.
To prevent irreversible damage, the parents' role is to set clear boundaries for static screen time, organize an ergonomic study area for children that requires sitting upright, encourage them to engage in outdoor physical activity, and above all serve as a personal example.
What can be done?
Change the position of your hands and elbows: While sitting, rest your elbows on a table or chair armrests, or cross one hand over your abdomen to hold the elbow of the other arm at chest height. This posture naturally raises the phone to your line of sight and prevents the deep muscles in the nape of the neck from tiring. Timed lying on the stomach while scrolling in bed can also force the shoulder girdle to remain in an upright, healthy position.
Instead of bending your entire head forward to read messages or watch videos, practice keeping your head completely upright and lowering only your pupils downward. This way, the neck will remain at a neutral and safe angle of zero degrees.
It is recommended to reduce screen time by switching to voice messages and regularly using the voice recording feature that converts speech to text, saving the need to lock yourself over the virtual keyboard.
Additionally, increase the font size, as small text triggers an automatic bodily instinct to bring closer and lower the neck down in order to successfully decipher what is written on the screen.
The smartphone is here to stay, but our skeletal structure will not change anytime soon to adapt to it. Preventive corrective movement, in which every scrolling action is accompanied by active physical awareness, will help preserve spinal health over time.
The author is the head of the physiotherapy department at Medical Care Integrative Rehabilitation Hospital.