Wellness Wednesday

"Text Neck" & "Grip Slip" are a Problem for Millennials

Your Body is not Twitterpated with your Tweeting 

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A recent study conducted by Elizabeth Fain and published in the Journal of Hand Therapy found that hand strength has drastically decreased in the millennial generation. The study collected data from 237 volunteers, and excluded those with preexisting thumb injuries. The study found that men under 30 had lost a collective average hand strength of 26 pounds in the right hand and 19 pounds in the left since 1985, while women had lost a collective average of 10 pounds in each hand. The reasoning for this collective loss in grip strength in millennials can be found in the change of the workforce as more jobs become less involved in agriculture and manufacturing, and more involved in computer and IT related areas.

In a similarly themed study, researchers looked at possible reasons for an exponential increase in chronic neck pain. The reason, they found was what you're reading this article on. For every inch that we move our head forward, we put an extra ten pounds of pressure on our neck. To understand how much strain this puts on your neck, bend your finger backwards for an hour and then see how it feels. It probably feels awful right? Well according to the Kaiser Family Foundation 8-18 year olds spend and average of 7.5 hours on their phone hunched over in such a position. Strained neck muscles can cause nerve damage and metabolic issues due to poor breathing techniques.

Both grip and neck muscles can be improved through working out and stretching regularly. No only will this improve your muscle strength, but it will give you a much needed rest from your phone as well. If your working out is too difficult for you due to the pain, remember that physical therapy is another option that can help get you back to where you were.