Text Neck and the Upper Cervical Spine
In the upper cervical spine, there are four main structures to focus on. They are:
The Foramen Magnum of the Occipital bone
The Atlas vertebra (1st cervical bone)
The Axis vertebra (2nd cervical bone)
The Brainstem of the Nerve System.
The Brainstem exits from the Foramen Magnum. The Atlas and Axis bones protect and surround the Brainstem. The brainstem connects all the nerves from the brain to the nerves of the body.
Upper Cervical Chiropractic focuses on the neurophysiology and biomechanics of the Craniocervical Joint. This area influences all other areas of the body in some way, shape or form.
Regarding Text Neck, the secondary focus is on the vestibulospinal nerve tract.
The vestibulospinal tract is part of the vestibular system. The vestibular system helps maintain head and eye coordination, upright posture and balance. It controls postural muscles in the head, neck, lower back, and limbs. The vestibulospinal tract starts in the brainstem and travels throughout the spinal cord.
The Nerve System in general does four main things:
It controls all the movements we make
Senses everything we feel
Regulates all our body organs
Relates us to the outside world
When nerves get stressed, it effects their sensitivity, perception and behavior. There are three types of stress we deal with in life. The stresses are physical, chemical and emotional in nature. These stresses create nerve tension and spine imbalance.
One specific job of the brainstem is to adapt these stresses and help bring the spine back into balance. Compensations arise if stress is too great for the adaptability of the brainstem. A vertebral subluxation is one particular compensation in the upper cervical spine.
A vertebral subluxation will cause the Atlas and Axis bones to lock in a misaligned position. Spine imbalance and Nerve System tension will perpetuate. This will lead to abnormal sensitivity, perception and behavior of the brainstem and surrounding nerves. There is now a disruption in Nerve System function.
Text neck is a modern condition caused by prolonged forward head posture. The impetus for this condition is the overuse of smartphones, tablets, and computers. Looking down at a device for extended periods puts excessive stress on postural muscles, especially the ones found within the neck. Maintaining the gravitational balance between the head and spine becomes strained. The usual symptoms of Text Neck are:
Neck Pain
Headaches
Shoulder Pain
Poor Posture
Reduced Mobility