Use it or lose it.

The other day, my reverse camera in the car stopped working. I didn’t realise how dependant I had become on this little piece of technology because I still look in all my mirrors and I thought I was always checking my rear view window the old fashioned way. However, after a couple of days of my camera not working, I was quick to realise how much harder it is to crank my head around. My neck actually feels stiff.

Could my reverse camera be making my neck stiff ?

How often do you properly shoulder check for your blind spot when you’re driving? And when you do, can you do so without moving your whole upper body? Try it next time you’re on the road (or maybe just practice while your ignition is off!) and see how much effort is actually needed for you to turn your neck to check both sides. Now think about how many times a day, week, or month you need to drive in reverse. If you used to always do a head check each of these times, but now you are always using a reverse camera instead, how many times are you NOT using your neck muscles?

I find it fascinating how our every day tasks have changed due to technology, and how it may be affecting our body’s movement patterns.

For something as simple as a shoulder check while driving, there does seem to be a concern for our overall neck mobility. I personally don’t have any major issues with my neck and shoulders, sometimes I get stiff and sore, but overall I have a decent range of motion for my daily tasks. To all of a sudden feel really restricted has me a bit worried. Could I actually be getting stiffer due to the use of a reverse camera?

If my neck mobility feels restricted, what else can that lead to?

• neck pain, shoulder pain, slumped posture
• nerve impingement, headaches, lower back pain
• rotator cuff injury, elbow pain, fatigue… just to name a few.

What other daily tasks are we NOT doing?

Staying with the car theme, a lot of the small features that our old cars used to have are now done automatically: rolling down the windows, closing the trunk door, adjusting our seats, and de-icing the windows are just a few examples. These are all things we once did manually, but no longer have to do. What about other tasks, like cooking. We can now buy veggies already prepped – washed and peeled, or chopped and grated.

Pre-chopped veggies? Robot vacuums ? And electric golf carts ?

Think about the appliances we now own: robot vacuums, automatic window covers, garage door openers, lawn mowers, food processors… while each of these make our lives easier and more enjoyable, they are also taking away from our bodies’ natural instinct to move? What about at the golf course, some driving ranges now have a device that pops your ball up on the tee for your next shot. No more bending down 100 times to take your shot. This is great! But … is it? Is driving a golf cart better for you than walking? Perhaps. Maybe for some days, or for part of the course. If you are used to walking the golf course 1-2x/week, and now you are taking a cart, how much weekly activity is your body missing out on?

If all these daily tasks are now done for us, the cumulative effect can be quite significant.

While these tasks may seem small, they all play a role in the accumulative daily movements that our bodies have once adapted to.

All of these now-automated tasks are hugely convenient and time saving, BUT they also account for one LESS activity for our own bodies to do.

Just some food for thought…