AP

PAIN IN THE NECK? A change in lifestyle is definitely changing our bodies.

How many people do you see walking down the street with their head held high these days? The answer is practically none.

Whether they are choosing a song on their iPod, tapping out an SMS on their phone or checking an e-mail on their BlackBerry, you are more likely to see the top of their head than their eyes.

New technology might make communication easier, but is it turning us into hunchbacks?

“Yes,” says Kirsten Lord, managing director of the Edinburgh Physiotherapy Centre and a chartered physiotherapist.

Our bodies are a product of what we do every day and the change in lifestyles is definitely changing our bodies, she says.

If you are constantly looking down, you develop a forward curvature that rounds the whole spine.

Your shoulders come forward and become more rounded, and standing upright and lengthening the neck may feel abnormal because the muscles you need to use have become shortened through lack of use.

Lord explains that, in the past, the most common complaint that physiotherapists saw related to the lower back, but over the past five years that’s been superseded by problems with the neck. She has no doubt that in a lot of cases that’s down to the technology we use.

It’s long been recognised that our reliance on computers is affecting our bodies, hence the boom in ergonomic seating and guidelines on how best to position our screens to try to minimise the negative impact of sitting in the same position for hours.

Despite this, physiotherapists regularly see people whose bodies are affected by the way they work. A personal trainer once told me that like everyone he knew who worked in an office, I had a “computer neck”.

Years of jutting my chin forward to look at a computer screen meant that had become the natural position of my neck. It didn’t sound terribly attractive, but I wasn’t in any pain.

But it seems I was one of the lucky ones. Jutting your neck forward can squash the top of your spine, says Lord.

The nerves can get compressed leading to headaches that get worse throughout the day. And that’s not the only problem.

Sitting in front of a computer screen tightens up the middle of the back, which means less flexibility and more danger of strain. Moreover, as the ribs also attach to the spine, stiffness in this area makes it harder to take deep breaths.

Laptops are even worse, especially if you use them without a stand while slouched on the sofa. And the boom in iPads also spells trouble. Laptops and tablet computers seem to hold our attention for far longer than books and magazines, says Lord.

So while you might think you are just looking at a screen, the length of time you are doing it for and the fact that keyboards, phones and tablets require tiny movements that can lead to problems such as repetitive strain injury mean they have a far more negative impact on the body.

So besides using laptop stands and hands-free kits, what can we do to stop ourselves from becoming a nation of twisted hunchbacks?

Tahe breaks so that you can use the muscles and joints in a more natural way.

Lord suggests standing up regularly and lengthening your neck by imagining a string pulling up the middle of your head. At the same time squeeze your buttocks to help re-engage the muscles.

She also recommends sitting on a static chair, putting your hands behind your neck and gently leaning backwards so you are arching in the opposite direction to the one you’ve been sitting in all day.

We are using technology from a younger age, says Lord. Forcing our bodies to work in an unnatural way for years on end is going to catch up with us. – Daily Mail

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