We look at our cell phones an average of 50 to 100 times a day. Turns out, that glance down to your phone is taking a toll on your health.
With every look down, we put about six times more pressure on our neck than it's designed to handle. A Northeast Ohio company says the solution to this health issue is a bedroom staple we all own.
Inside an old elevator factory at Cleveland's Tyler Village, a start-up company is getting worldwide attention for its new pillow that it claims is designed specifically to address tech neck.
"Imagine putting a child, an 8 year-old child around your neck for two to four hours a day," said Dr. Roy Buchinsky, Director of Wellness at University Hospitals.
Buchinsky said that’s what we're doing each day we spend looking down at the technology in our hands.
He's seeing more patients come in with neck problems.
"Complaining either of a neck strain in the back of the neck, or even sometimes complaining of a headache toward the back of their heads," said Buchinsky.
A recent study on the impact that technology is having on our cervical spine caught the attention of Enduring Wellness, a local company dedicated to bringing wellness science into the home.
"Not all scientific discoveries should be drugs or new forms of surgery," said Brian Sokol, President and CEO of Enduring Wellness.
The Cleveland start-up company focuses on medical studies and treatment options.
"We can now take that and turn it into a product that can help hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people," said Sokol.
That’s what Sokol, and the team at Balance Design, also a Cleveland company, hope to do with this pillow.
"Here in Cleveland, Ohio we have a new patent for a new type of pillow," said Sokol.
Enduring Wellness claims it helps maintain proper sleep posture while providing cervical support to restore the natural curve in the neck.
Up until now, that's been done with a rolled-up towel or lumbar roll support.
"The eureka moment came when the people at Balance Design said we can put that into a pillow," said Sokol.
Sokol said before being featured on the shopping network QVC, the pillow had to go through rigorous testing to prove it properly addresses tech neck.
"The product that came out was a derivative of what all the findings were from the studies," said Sokol.
Doctor Buchinsky said you can alleviate symptoms of tech neck by doing exercises that strengthen the neck muscles, and of course by decreasing the time you spend on your device and how you look at it.
"Try bringing your smart phone up and use your eyes rather than pushing your neck down," said Buchinsky.
Right now, a facility in Iowa is making the pillow, but Enduring Wellness hopes to eventually move production to Northeast Ohio, possibly in Tyler Village.
