At Homberg Chiropractic and Wellness – your Knoxville chiropractor – we restore your spine to the way nature intended. That means working with you to strengthen the muscles to correct your posture and maintain a good posture.

One of the things we have to deal with now in patients with poor postures is knowing that for much of the day, many of them sit at a computer or constantly look down at their phones or tablets, putting a tremendous strain on neck muscles. Recent chiropractic research shows how these modern conveniences also are remolding our skeletons!

New research in biomechanics suggests that young people are developing hornlike spikes at the back of their skulls — bone spurs caused by the forward tilt of the head, which shifts weight from the spine to the muscles at the back of the head, causing bone growth in the connecting tendons and ligaments. The weight transfer that causes the buildup can be compared to the way the skin thickens into a callus as a response to pressure or abrasion. The thing about these posture changes is that they often don’t cause pain until it’s too late!

The result is a hook or hornlike feature jutting out from the skull, just above the neck. A pair of researchers at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, argue that the prevalence of the bone growth in younger adults points to shifting body posture brought about by the use of modern technology. They say smartphones and other handheld devices are contorting the human form, requiring users to bend their heads forward. The researchers said their discovery marks the first documentation of a physiological or skeletal adaptation to the penetration of advanced technology into everyday life.

One of the researchers, a chiropractor, said the horn-like formation is “a sign of serious deformity in posture that can cause chronic headaches and pain in the upper back and neck.” One paper wondered what the future holds for young adults’ health when a degenerative condition is already evident at such a young age.

“These formations take a long time to develop, so that means that those individuals who suffer from them probably have been stressing that area since early childhood,” one of the researchers said.

Another study considered a sample of 1,200 X-rays of subjects ages 18 to 86. The researchers found that the size of the bone growth, present in 33 percent of the population, actually decreased with age. That discovery was in stark contrast to existing scientific understanding, which had long held that the slow, degenerative process occurred with aging.

The researchers didn’t recommend swearing off technology, although that might not be all bad. They instead stressed the importance of good posture, urging people to become as focused on posture as they are on dental hygiene.

The good news is you can change things to improve your posture. At Homberg Chiropractic we restore your spine to the correct alignment and we prescribe exercises to strengthen the muscles that help improve your posture.

Call Homberg Chiropractic today to schedule an important so we can start improving your posture today!