Technology Can Be a Pain in the Neck

By Chloe Hill

The use of mobile devices has led to a new major health problem called “text neck” which is caused by bending one’s head down to view cell phones, tablets and laptops.

The muscles and nerves of the neck were only meant to handle 10-12 pounds, the weight of the neck when one is maintaining a neutral position facing forward. Incrementally moving the head forward as we do when we view mobile devices wreaks havoc on the spine. For example, bending your head 15 degrees to view your mobile device adds 27 pounds of stress to the neck and bending your head 45 degrees adds 60 pounds of stress to the neck. If you’re assuming these positions for hours a day every day, imagine the cumulative effects on the neck, shoulders and back!

A study publish in Surgery Technology International titled “Assessment of Stresses in the Cervical Spine Caused by Posture and Position of the Head notes: “People spend an average of two to four hours a day with their heads tilted over reading and texting on their smart phones and devices. Cumulatively this is 700 to 1400 hours a year of excess stresses seen about the cervical spine.”

Needless to say, chronic pain is often the result, with some opting for surgery to relieve the pain. “As you stretch the tissue for a long period of time, it gets sore, it gets inflamed. It can also cause muscle strain, pinched nerves, herniated disks and, over time, it can even remove the neck’s natural curve.” Says Tom DiAngelis, president of the American Physical Therapy Association‘s Private Practice Section.

That’s why we incorporated a mobile device stand feature into the TruRest – to allow you to use electronic displays in the more comfortable and healthy eye level position. The TruRest isn’t just for napping!


TruRest mobile device stand feature

There is no other product on the market that allows you to view mobile devices at such an unprecedented range and level, whether leaning back in the seat or leaning forward.

View mobile devices with the Trurest in the forward leaning position as well

If you choose to view mobile devices while leaning forward, the TruRest’s frame including the face plate and the chest support promote good posture by facilitating proper alignment of the spine. Proper alignment of the spine refers to how the head, neck, shoulders, back and hips line up with or relate to one another. Good posture is important to our health and ironically many of us don’t maintain it. According to Kenneth Hansraj, “Good posture also has other health and wellness benefits. Researchers at San Francisco State University have found a link between poor posture and depression, and many experts believe stooping and slouching could be associated with weight gain, heartburn, migraines, anxiety and respiratory conditions.”

To help you achieve proper alignment, the TruRest’s chest support acts as a foundation for your core and comfortably facilitates a straightened position for your spine. The reason that the chest support was designed to support the body at the sternum is because the sternum is one of the largest and longest flat bones of the body. The sternum and the ribs make up the ribcage which is a protective feature of the body, protecting the lungs, blood vessels, heart, parts of the spleen, stomach and kidneys from traumatic injury. For these reasons, because the sternum is long, flat and designed to protect, it is an ideal region to place a support feature and an ideal region for the user to throw their weight. Hypnap recommends resting about 60%- 70% of your weight on the TruRest’s chest cushion so that most of the support for the rest of the body is at the core of the body. The TruRest’s face plate lines up the neck and spine and supports your head in a neutral face forward position.

This is a good position to model even when you are not using the TruRest – keeping your back straight, activating your core to support the rest of your body and keeping your head in a neutral, face forward position. Thus, you can use the TruRest as a training mechanism to develop habits for good posture.

TruRest promotes good posture

If you choose to view mobile devices using the mobile device stand feature and leaning back in your seat, simply place your tablet on the shelves that swing down from the bottom of the TruRest’s face plate and use the clips at the top of the face plate to secure your tablet.