So you got Squirtle and Balbasaur and you’re about to reach level 10? Good for you!

Now here’s the question: How’s your neck?

One BIG thing that physiotherapists love about Pokémon Go is that it gets you outside and it gets you moving. Because that’s what National Physiotherapy Week (5 – 11 September) is all about: encouraging people to get moving, for their health’s sake.

The more you move your body, the better your health will be – that’s the promise of research.

One BIG thing physiotherapists don’t like about Pokémon Go: your head is still bent over a screen for a long period!

And your head is heavy! A human head weighs about 4.5-5.5 kilos, made up of brainpower, skull protection and muscle mass, all poised on top of a pole-like structure: your neck.

When you bend your head forward by 30 degrees to check a screen, you’re putting about 12 kilos of strain on your spine and the muscles of your neck.

Do that for several hours a day and voila! Text neck! That means:
• Headaches
• Pain in the neck and shoulders
• Curvature of the spine (especially children)

Some physiotherapy tips to prevent text neck:
• Use voice whenever possible – put the loudspeaker on when you chat, use voice recognition apps.
• Bend your eyes down to see the screen rather than your neck.
• Bring the phone up so you’re looking at it head-on instead of at an angle
• Text less (yes, it’s possible!)
• Aim for good posture, like this:
Imagine someone is standing over you, holding your head up by a string attached to the top of your head. Keep your chin tucked in. That? That’s good posture!
• Strrreeettch. Give those neck muscles a break like this:
Sit up straight, and feel the pull of that string attached to the top of your head……
Twist your head slowly towards your left shoulder.
Twist your head slowly towards your right shoulder.
Tilt your head to the left shoulder (aim your ear towards the shoulder, while relaxing the shoulder)
Repeat to the right.

And to avoid falling, crashing into poles and running into traffic, please, look UP every few seconds while searching for the next Pokémon Go critter.

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