“Texting neck” or “iNeck pain” syndrome – An emerging public health threat: In the era of NEW NORMAL

Abstract

“Texting neck” or “iNeck pain” syndrome is emerging as a public health threat globally because of our adjustment to a NEW NORMAL existence (work-from-home culture) because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This term coined by Dr. Dean L. Fishman, “text neck,” refers to overuse syndrome or a repetitive stress injury, in which we have our head hung forward and down looking at our cellular electronic device for prolonged durations. In our normal anatomical position, neck muscle groups are designed to endure the load of our head, which is about 10–12 pounds and when we bend our head ahead for an inch, we double the weight on these neck muscle groups. The signs and symptoms vary from continual nagging ache to muscle fatigue and limited variety of neck movements. For handling “Texting neck” or “iNeck ache” syndrome, nonpharmacological and pharmacological treatment alternatives are available. The burden of neck pain is already high in countries such as Norway, Finland, and Denmark. It is emerging as a public health problem in other countries also, thanks to work-from-home culture in the COVID-19 era. Few studies have revealed that the awareness for texting neck is poor among poor countries, and increasing population awareness about the risk factors and preventive measures for neck pain is the only way to tackle this emerging threat.