The Tech Neck Secret:
Keeping Children Healthy
In the Age of Electronics
Bill Reif M.S., PT
Linda Seidman Reif M.,Ed
CONTENTS
FOREWORD
As a child neurologist with over 30 years experience treating chronic neck and headache pain in children and adolescents, I am impressed by the thorough approach taken by Bill Reif, P.T. in this book. He has been very helpful to me as a clinician in alleviating pain in a non- pharmacological manner in this population.
While head and neck injury are often the precipitating factors, muscle contraction/stress and posture are frequently the underlying conditions. With the explosion in technology available to children, poor posture has been the result.
Increases in screen time with less active play have resulted in changes in growth and development. According to Common Sense Media, children under 8 years old average 2 hours 9 minutes per day on TV and mobile devices. In many older children, video game time more than doubles this average. Not only does this increased time cause problems in posture, it contributes to obesity, poor attention span, and impaired social interaction.
Sit up straight' and get off that game are common refrains of parents everywhere. We need more preventative tools to address these issues.
This book empowers parents and teachers to assess posture and to intervene with the goal of improving the physical and emotional health of your child.
Howard S. Schub, M.D.
Child Neurologist
ASCEND Pediatric Neurology
Adjunct Asst. Professor of Pediatrics
Emory University School of Medicine
Atlanta, Georgia
About the Authors
Bill Reif, M.S, PT
Bill has over 40 years orthopedic physical therapy experience. He is frequent writer for Yoga International. His Masters in Physical Therapy focused on patient education. He has specific expertise in treating children's posture and stress-related headaches, cervical and lumbar pain.
The idea for this book was a result of significant success in collaboration with pediatric neurologists treating children's headaches by altering posture.
Bill is the author of the eBook The Back Pain Secret: The Real Cause of Women's Back Pain and How to Treat it published in 2016
https://www.amazon.com/Back-Pain-Secret-Cause-Womens-ebook/dp/B01KFF5496
Yoga International will soon publish his next book Yoga for Common Conditions, a physical therapist and yoga instructor guide for pre-existing conditions.
Linda Seidman Reif, M.,Ed
Linda has a B.S in Education from The University of Georgia and an advanced Masters degree in early childhood education from Georgia State University. Her interest in technology began in 1981 when computers were first introduced in her elementary school classroom. She has taught in computer labs and enjoys teaching technology to new users.
CHAPTER ONE
What is Tech-Neck and why do I need to know about it?
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 8- to 18 year-olds spend an average of seven and a half hours using all forms of "entertainment media" every day.
A national survey by Kaiser found that with technology allowing nearly 24-hour media access as children and teens go about their daily lives, the amount of time young people spend with entertainment media has climbed dramatically, especially among minority youth.
Additionally, the number of hours that we spend sitting in a slumped posture is increasing. This is especially true for our children who are growing up in our ever-increasing digital world, and whose bodies are still developing, and therefore more vulnerable to the effects of bad posture.
There is a tendency toward a slumped posture, with all electronics; however, smaller devices held low in front of us are even worse. Kids often sit on the floor, a bed, or soft couch with a slumped posture.
Children tend to use electronic devices such as: laptops, tablets, hand-held electronic games, iPads, or smartphones, with their head forward and the device placed near the waist or in their lap, while in a sitting position. This rounded neck posture can increase stress upon the neck (cervical) and spine (thoracic and lumbar) and cause muscle strain throughout the body. Growing children may experience lasting changes to their posture and possible damage that may lead to lifelong symptoms.
Americans spend more time than ever watching videos, browsing social media, and swiping on their tablets and smartphones. American adults spend more than 11 hours per day watching, reading, listening or simply interacting with media, according to a new study by market-research group Nielsen. That's up from nine hours, 32 minutes just four years ago. Television still accounts for most media usage, with four hours and 46 minutes spent watching TV every day in the first quarter of this year.
This book provides parents and teachers with the solution to problems caused by weak & poor posture due to a recent shift to intensive use of all electronic devices. All this screen time greatly reduces the time children spend outdoors. In adults, a sedentary lifestyle with limited movement has led to many diagnoses; including headaches, neck, and back pain.
What are these electronic devices doing to your child's health?
When your child looks down, and tilts their head forward because they're bent over an electronic device, the angle of the head puts additional strain on the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the neck. They also tend to round their shoulders forward, which creates additional wear on the low back and the upper part of the spine. When children spend an extended amount of time in these positions, they can start to experience pain.
Researchers have noted that doctors are seeing a major increase in children coming in for treatments for several areas of pain, which seems to correlate with the increase in mobile device use. If you observe your child slouching or hunching over a device, they may also be doing it when they're sitting in class, in the car, at a restaurant or at the dinner table.
Poor posture can quickly become a habit. Reversing this habit is the key. The secret is to quickly identify the problems by assessing the child's posture, using tools to provide positive feedback, model and change behavior, encourage reduced electronic interface and to modify alignment while utilizing electronics. Reducing time spent on electronic devices leads to more time out-doors, which contributes to the overall health and well being of any child.
What you will learn here
--- Why do we all need to reduce screen time?
--- What types of problems may occur over time?
--- How to monitor screen time
--- How to reverse the C-shaped spine
--- How to model, give feedback & modify behavior
--- Prevention
--- Benefits: improved posture & reduced screen time provides increased socialization, strength, balance, endurance, and cardiovascular condition
DISCLAIMER:
This book is NOT INTENDED as a substitute for medical advice. Any mention of medical terminology in NOT to be used for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information does not create a patient-physician or patient-therapist relationship.
CHAPTER TWO
What effects do electronic devices have on your child's posture?
We will focus upon creating a strong and fluid posture, although the benefits here include reduced stress, improved breathing, reduced obesity, improved socialization, better self-esteem, reduced eye strain, improved digestion, and increased cardiovascular conditioning.
Q. What does your child look like when texting, surfing, typing, or swiping on an electronic device?
