It is summertime and the kids are out of school and looking for something fun to do. Your go-to solution to keep them entertained is to take them to an amusement park.
They love riding the roller coasters and seeing the attractions, and you love spending time with them and knowing that you have made them happy. The great thing about amusement parks is that no matter how old you are, you always feel like a little kid when you’re there. You love riding the rides, eating the food and acting like a tourist even though you’ve been to that same amusement park dozens of times.
One thing not many people realize, though, is the amount of stress that a roller coaster can put of your body, especially on your neck. During a roller coaster ride, your body is experiencing 2G or two times the force of gravity. This means that if you weigh 150 pounds, for example, you would feel what it is like to be 300 pounds in normal gravity because of the amount of gravity pressing against you at the time. This puts immense stress on your body and causes your muscles to tense up in ways they are not used to. Additionally, as obvious as this may seem, roller coasters protect your torso with a seat strap, but leave your arms and legs flailing with the wind, which also puts great stress on those affected areas. None of this compares to the stress that is placed on your neck. Your neck has your head, which weighs approximately 11 pounds, to support. As the roller coaster shakes your body uncontrollably, and your head wobbles along with it, your neck muscles are forced to immediately adjust to compensate for all of the sudden movements. Your neck is burdened with the responsibility of resisting all of the motion so that your spine does not endure more jolting motion than it should.
To prevent serious damage that can be caused by roller coaster, try keeping your eyes open and your head facing forward; this allows you to be better aware of future movements and speed up your reactions. I understand that the intense wind speeds and excitement during a roller coaster may stop this from being successful, so if you go on a roller coaster and feel sore the next day, you can always make an appointment with me, and I will be happy to loosen up those neck muscles for you with a massage.
They love riding the roller coasters and seeing the attractions, and you love spending time with them and knowing that you have made them happy. The great thing about amusement parks is that no matter how old you are, you always feel like a little kid when you’re there. You love riding the rides, eating the food and acting like a tourist even though you’ve been to that same amusement park dozens of times.
One thing not many people realize, though, is the amount of stress that a roller coaster can put of your body, especially on your neck. During a roller coaster ride, your body is experiencing 2G or two times the force of gravity. This means that if you weigh 150 pounds, for example, you would feel what it is like to be 300 pounds in normal gravity because of the amount of gravity pressing against you at the time. This puts immense stress on your body and causes your muscles to tense up in ways they are not used to. Additionally, as obvious as this may seem, roller coasters protect your torso with a seat strap, but leave your arms and legs flailing with the wind, which also puts great stress on those affected areas. None of this compares to the stress that is placed on your neck. Your neck has your head, which weighs approximately 11 pounds, to support. As the roller coaster shakes your body uncontrollably, and your head wobbles along with it, your neck muscles are forced to immediately adjust to compensate for all of the sudden movements. Your neck is burdened with the responsibility of resisting all of the motion so that your spine does not endure more jolting motion than it should.
To prevent serious damage that can be caused by roller coaster, try keeping your eyes open and your head facing forward; this allows you to be better aware of future movements and speed up your reactions. I understand that the intense wind speeds and excitement during a roller coaster may stop this from being successful, so if you go on a roller coaster and feel sore the next day, you can always make an appointment with me, and I will be happy to loosen up those neck muscles for you with a massage.