Be careful if you have severe neck stiffness! How to prevent smartphone disease and PC disease, which are increasing in stay-at-home life

The 6th wave of the new corona has arrived, and it seems that the stay home will continue for a while. However, due to the use of PCs and smartphones, which are indispensable for teleworking and staying at home, there is an increase in stiff shoulders and necks, and the accompanying poor physical condition, the so-called "smartphone PC disease", says Takayoshi Matsui, a neurosurgeon and chairman of the Tokyo Neurological Center. The doctor is sounding the alarm. The one that needs special attention is the neck. It is said that a new disease completely different from major depression of psychosis called "autonomic depression" may develop. We asked Dr. Matsui about stiff neck prevention and care methods.

According to Dr. Matsui, staying at home is likely to damage neck health.

[Interview cooperation]

Dr. Takayoshi Matsui, Chairman of Tokyo Neurology Center and Chairman of Matsui Hospital. Neurosurgeon specialist. medical doctor. Graduated from Tokyo University School of Medicine. He has been researching the neck for over 45 years and has examined more than 100,000 patients. Identify the relationship between the neck and parasympathetic nerves and establish a treatment for autonomic imbalance. https://tokyo-neurological-center.com/

For example, working with a laptop at a low table, playing games on a smartphone, using a smartphone on a train, etc. In an inadequate IT environment, the amount of time spent using a PC/smartphone while facing down has increased. ing.

A human head weighs about 6 kilograms, about the same as a large watermelon. Prolonged downward posture overuses the muscles in the back of the neck that support the head, causing them to become stiff. As a result, the body becomes dull for no reason, and even after a full night's sleep, the fatigue does not go away, and symptoms and diseases of autonomic imbalance such as headache, dizziness, malaise, numbness, and dry eye appear. It is said to appear.

Dr. Matsui called the disease caused by abnormalities in the muscles of the neck "stiff neck disease (cervical neuromuscular syndrome)" and is the discoverer of the cure. The symptoms and diseases caused by continuing to use PCs and smartphones in a downward posture, which has been increasing in recent years, have been named "smartphone/PC disease", and now is the time to prevent, care, and treat PC/smartphone neck disease." warned.

If you leave your stiff neck untreated, you may be diagnosed with depression

Dr.

"Nearly 40 years ago, there was no distinction between stiff neck and stiff shoulders, and they were all referred to as stiff shoulders. At that time, the word neck stiffness did not exist in Japanese. No matter how much the shoulder is stiff, no neurological symptoms occur.However, when the neck is stiff, the parasympathetic nerves are directly involved in the muscles of the neck, so the body There are various symptoms in

If neck stiffness is left untreated, not only headaches, dizziness, and fatigue, but also unpleasant symptoms such as numbness, insomnia, and fluffy sensations will increase and spread throughout the body. It is said to be a very frightening disease in which depressive symptoms such as "no" and "feeling depressed" always appear.

"Even if symptoms appear, the cause of the disorder is unknown, so in the end, there are cases where a psychosomatic medicine or psychiatrist is consulted and a diagnosis of depression is made. However, the cause is neck stiffness. Therefore, even if you take antidepressants, you will not be cured because you are being treated for another illness. There are many real-world examples that prove that patients who have suffered from this disease have been completely cured and reborn as different people through autonomic treatment.”

If you are suffering from a stiff neck or other symptoms, try neck pain care. Matsui says there are several ways.

Do this for 30 seconds once every 15 minutes (or 30 minutes).

(1) Sit deeply in a chair, put your back on the backrest, and wrap both hands behind your head.

(2) Next, tilt your head back. Stop just before your neck hurts and hold for 30 seconds. *The basic idea is to support the weight of your head with both hands and loosen the muscles in the back of your neck.

(3) Restore the knocked down head. The hand that was holding the head at this time should help the head return.

Source: Takayoshi Matsui, "Five minutes a day, increasing parasympathetic nerves can make you happy" (Asahi Shimbun Publishing)

Use a chair with a backrest and sit back.

(1) Flexible neck exercises 1

Rotate your neck slowly from side to side. Tilt your head forward and slowly circle from the left first. Then turn from the right. Repeat this exercise 5 times.

(2) Flexibility exercises for the neck 2

Stretch your neck and slowly turn your face to the right. At this time, keep your body facing forward and gently pull your left shoulder back. Then turn your face back. Repeat this 5 times.

Next, do the opposite movement. Slowly turn your face to the left. Keep your body facing forward and gently pull your right shoulder back. Repeat this exercise 5 times.

(3) Exercise 1 to loosen the muscles behind the neck

Place your hands on the back of your head and slowly tilt your head back. Count to 5 and slowly bring your head back up. Repeat this exercise 5 times.

(4) Exercises to loosen the muscles in the diagonal back of the neck

Place your right hand behind your right ear and slowly tilt your head back to the right.

Count to 5 and slowly put it back down. Use your hands to help with the back movement. Repeat this exercise 5 times.

(5) Loosen the muscles in the diagonal back of the neck

This time, place your left hand behind your left ear and push it backward to the opposite side of the previous one. Count to 5 and put it back to its original position. Repeat this exercise 5 times.

(6) Loosen the muscles on the side of the neck

Put the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers of your right hand over your right temple and tilt your head toward your right shoulder. Please count to 5 while knocking down. return slowly. At this time as well, please help me put my hands back together.

Next, do the same for the left side. Do 5 times on each side.

(7) Loosen the muscles in the diagonal front of the neck

Place the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers of your left hand on your left forehead and drop your head over your right shoulder. Next, turn your head to the left and bring your right ear as close to your sternum as possible.

At this time, the face is facing to the upper left. Count to 5 and return your head over your right shoulder. After that, raise your neck and return it straight to the midline (front: the line in the middle of the left and right of the body). Do the same for the left side. Place the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers of your right hand on the right side of your forehead, tilt your head over your left shoulder, and roll your head so that your left ear is close to your sternum. Do 5 times on each side.

(8) organizing movement

Repeat the order of (3) → (2) → (1).

Do not cool your neck with a scarf or neck warmer, warm your neck with a hot towel. It is recommended to wear a shawl in an air-conditioned room even in the summer.

Bath is good too. However, it seems that the full body bath is better than the half bath.

No neck massage!

If you have a sore neck, you tend to get a stiff neck by massaging it, but it is said that it may worsen the symptoms.

"Stiff shoulders are not a problem no matter how much you massage the shoulder muscles. However, the neck muscles are affected by the parasympathetic nerves, so I feel that they are better immediately after the massage. The next day, it's often worse than before the massage, and I'm going to teach massage schools about it."

How to Prevent Neck Stiffness

While staying at home, be sure to keep the following in mind and try to prevent neck stiffness.

●Use a desktop computer that allows you to adjust the height of your line of sight and the height of the display.

If possible, it is better not to use a laptop.

●Use your smartphone at eye level, or use a smartphone stand.

●Hold luggage alternately.

●In a long-distance drive, put a neck break well.

●Make time to relax.

General malaise/fatigue of unknown cause is an ``organic disease''

Until now, it has been said that ``the body feels sluggish for an unknown reason and does not feel like doing anything. In the morning, the body feels sluggish and it is difficult to wake up." The cause of the symptom was unknown. So there was no way to fix it. However, Dr. Matsui's long-term research has revealed that such symptoms are the central symptoms of "smartphone PC disease".

"In companies, there are many people who suffer from stiff necks and are on the verge of depression due to unexplained fatigue, and many white-collar workers who are diagnosed with depression."Stiff neck → easy to get tired → general fatigue. (I can't wake up in the morning and can't go to work)", followed by "diagnosis of depression → leave of absence".After taking a leave of absence, there are cases where people return to work without being completely cured, relapse, or have no choice but to quit their jobs. It affects the productivity of companies, and it is also a great pain for patients themselves.For those who get tired easily but don't know the cause, it is very likely that the cause is a stiff neck."

I have taught you that headaches and dizziness are typical symptoms caused by abnormalities in the muscles of the neck. Over time, I have felt "unexplained general malaise/fatigue".It has become clear that this is the cause of mental symptoms.It is clear that the theory of psychiatrists is the opposite. It has become.

For 30 years from now, fatigue of unknown cause has been studied as the second national disease in the United States after AIDS, but the cause and cure are still unknown. . At my place, the cause of chronic fatigue syndrome was clarified 30 years ago, and it has become possible to completely cure it. Self-checking is a 30-question questionnaire I made."

Unexplained fatigue and lethargy are organic diseases. Depressive symptoms do not occur unless severe. Based on this theory, at the Tokyo Neurological Center, a team of more than 10 doctors, mainly neurosurgeons and neurologists who graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Tokyo, is said to be performing autonomic nerve treatment (low-frequency treatment). As a result, patients are freed from various drug-related problems, such as the side effects of antidepressants and "addiction."

If you are suffering from mental problems and do not want to explain at all, it may be necessary to suspect that you have a stiff neck. If you are concerned, let's self-check with the questionnaire devised by Dr. Matsui.

[Reference] Stiff neck disease (cervical neuromuscular syndrome) questionnaire

Interview / Text / Akari Ishihara