In the early morning, some people turn on their cameras with no makeup on — a so-called "bare face" look. There is no editing and no Photoshop. They simply record a 2-second video once an hour and share it with friends. This is the change brought about by an application (app) that has recently been gaining popularity among Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2010). The app, which lets users share their daily lives in real time, allows a maximum of 12 people to join. There is no algorithm and no recommended friends. Users receive notifications at the same time and briefly record their daily lives simultaneously. It provides a sense of bonding, as if spending time together even when apart. Fatigue with existing social media (SNS) is cited as the reason behind the app's popularity. Younger generations, tired of well-curated feeds and a culture sensitive to "like" counts, are moving toward "raw" communication that requires no editing or retouching. The app reportedly reached No. 1 on the App Store within three days of launch and surpassed 500,000 cumulative downloads on Google Play.
Even with the emergence of such a new style of SNS, concerns about the neck health of mobile platform users remain. While recording a video takes only about 2 seconds, the problem of repeated "quick checks" throughout the day persists. Each time a notification arrives, users look at their smartphones and check the screen, naturally adopting a posture in which the head juts forward. When such postures accumulate, they can place a burden on the muscles and discs around the cervical spine.
According to a research paper by Dr. Hansraj of St. Francis Hospital in the United States, published in the international journal Surgical Technology International, tilting the head just 15 degrees nearly doubles the load on the cervical spine compared to normal. When the sequence of creating videos, checking them, leaving comments, and waiting for the next notification continues, the cervical spine is subjected to repeated loads in a short period of time.
If such behavior persists, cervical disc herniation may develop. Cervical disc herniation occurs when a disc between the cervical vertebrae moves out of place and compresses surrounding nerves. Symptoms vary depending on the degree and direction of the herniation. A stiff pain in the back of the neck is the most common symptom, and headaches, dizziness, and tinnitus may accompany it. As the displaced disc compresses the nerve root or spinal cord, numbness or paralysis may occur in the upper extremities, including the shoulders, arms, and fingers. In severe cases, patients may be forced to undergo cervical spine surgery.
If pain severe enough to interfere with daily life persists, professional treatment is recommended. Korean medicine utilizes integrative treatments that include Chuna therapy, acupuncture, and pharmacopuncture. Acupuncture treatment relaxes tense neck and shoulder muscles and improves blood circulation, helping to relieve pain and restore function. Pharmacopuncture treatment involves injecting extracted and refined herbal medicine components into the painful area, promoting inflammation relief and tissue recovery. Combining this with Chuna therapy can correct the alignment of the misaligned cervical spine and surrounding musculoskeletal structures.
The effectiveness of such integrative Korean medicine treatments has been demonstrated through several studies. There is also research showing that pharmacopuncture treatment is more effective than general physical therapy in improving neck pain. The Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine research team published a study in the international Journal of Clinical Medicine that divided patients with moderate or higher neck pain into a pharmacopuncture treatment group and a physical therapy group for comparison. According to the paper, the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score of the pharmacopuncture group decreased by 33.2 points, from 63.9 before treatment to 30.7 after treatment. In contrast, the physical therapy group showed a decrease of only 17.4 points. The pharmacopuncture group also led in the Neck Disability Index (NDI), which evaluates neck function, as well as in quality-of-life improvement and recovery speed assessments. For both the VAS and NDI scales, higher numbers indicate more severe pain and disability.
For cervical disc herniation, daily prevention habits are as important as professional treatment. When looking at a smartphone, keeping the screen at eye level and gently rotating the neck and shoulders during long periods in a single posture can help reduce pain.
Enjoying new forms of SNS communication is fine, but you should not miss the signals your body is sending. Responding to notifications that ring every hour while occasionally putting down the smartphone and lifting your head — this is a habit just as necessary as the new way of communicating.
