天博体育

I recently wrote about how my oldest son learned how to ride a bike. His excitement got me to buy a used one, mostly because running after him down the street wasn鈥檛 going to be a solid long-range plan. Now, Milo and I get to explore on two wheels. We discovered a pond with ducks not far from the house and we鈥檝e met a lot more people in the neighborhood, mostly ones who own dogs.

It鈥檚 also been a great way to show him what I want him to do on the bike 鈥� stay to the side of the road, wait until cars stop before you cross, and look behind you to see 鈥�

Maybe not that one. I once had that easy range of motion, but it鈥檚 gone, and I blame Milo and his younger brother Levi. I love them, but they鈥檝e destroyed my neck. They鈥檝e also destroyed my lower back, sleep rhythms, and knowledge of current events. But right now, it鈥檚 about the neck, and they鈥檙e not going to smile their way out of it. For six years, I鈥檝e been constantly looking down, to read to them, to answer their questions, to hold them until I fall asleep in chairs with them.

Again, all their fault. Or maybe not completely.

Vijay Dayanani is a physical therapist at Harvard Medical School-affiliated Spaulding Outpatient Center and says the main culprit is technology. Laptops, iPads, and cell phones have created a looking-down culture, bringing the neck out of its ideal neutral position and perpetually stressing the muscles to where they eventually lock up. Parenting just compounds the problem by offering no break from the bad mechanics. More than that, Dayanani predicts that he鈥檒l be treating a lot more neck arthritis in the future. Same goes for the fingers, particularly thumbs, from the incessant texting.

So what鈥檚 needed is some adapting, wherever it can be found. Here鈥檚 how, he says:

Awareness. It鈥檚 basic, but it鈥檚 easy to not think about how you鈥檙e holding your body. With parenting, it鈥檚 even easier to forget to simply look up every once in a while. Ultimately, the more that can be done at eye level, the better. Having any kind of screen at a comfortable height will help; adjusting your work computer will help even more. When you鈥檙e standing, check in to where your pelvis is. You want to make sure to slightly rotate it forward, which will maintain the curve in your lower spine and automatically bring up the top of your body.

Give your eyes a target. Put any picture that you love on the wall opposite your desk. It might be a little gimmicky, but anything that will cause you to look straight ahead for a few seconds will give the neck muscles a chance to rest and unwind. Along with that 鈥�

Keep a bottle of water on your desk. And drink it. It鈥檚 good to get up and move around once every hour. You could set a reminder on your phone, but you also have to remember to do that. Even if you did, deadlines can cause tunnel vision, but having to go to the bathroom is a hard one to ignore.

Check your pillow support. It should fill the space from your shoulder to your ear to keep your neck properly aligned. A simple test: while lying on your side, open your eyes. You should be looking straight ahead and your head should be level.

Work your mid-back. They鈥檙e key postural muscles. Do lat pulldowns or seated rows 鈥� a pull versus a push exercise will make it less likely to round your back.

Use hot and cold. Ice and heat are classics for a reason: they help. For anything acute and severe, ice every hour for 10 minutes for up to 72 hours. For anything else, it鈥檚 whichever temperature you prefer, once in the morning, at noon, and at night for 15 minutes each time.