[Self-Healing Power Holds the Answer] Free Wi-Fi Is Coming to Flights—But Will Your Neck Be Okay?

[Financial News] Until now, there has been relatively little to do during a long-haul flight. Passengers often arrive exhausted after staring at the view from the sky, eating an in-flight meal and forcing themselves to sleep. Many people even avoid long-haul flights because they dislike this experience.
That is expected to change. Starting this month, a major South Korean airline has begun introducing free in-flight Wi-Fi on aircraft serving long-haul routes through a contract with a well-known overseas satellite internet provider. The airline plans to expand the service to all aircraft by the end of 2027. With speeds of up to 500 Mbps, passengers will be able to browse the internet much as they do on the ground. They will be able to share videos and photos taken at an altitude of 10,000 meters over the Pacific on social media in real time, or participate in video conferences from their seats. This is certainly welcome news for passengers.
However, as a Korean medicine doctor who treats musculoskeletal disorders, I have some concerns. Until now, many passengers have watched movies downloaded in advance or browsed their photo albums on their smartphones during flights. Because internet access was limited, however, there were certain limits to what they could do with their phones. As unrestricted internet access becomes available in the cabin, more passengers may use their smartphones throughout long-haul flights.
The bigger problem is that the cramped cabin is not an ideal environment for smartphone use. With little room to rest their elbows, passengers tend to hold their devices near their laps and bend their heads sharply forward. It is also difficult to change posture significantly because of the person sitting next to them. Under normal circumstances, they could adjust their posture or put the device down for a while. During a long flight, however, they may stare at their smartphones for extended periods while maintaining an uncomfortable posture to relieve boredom.
Normally, the cervical spine forms a gentle C-shaped curve. This curve helps distribute the weight of the head, but keeping the head bent forward for a long time can straighten the curve and lead to forward-head posture, commonly known as “text neck.” When this happens, the head, which weighs around 5 kilograms, places greater stress on the neck and shoulder muscles and the intervertebral discs. Repeated pressure can cause a disc to bulge and press on a nerve, potentially leading to a cervical disc herniation. Research by American spinal surgeon Dr. Kenneth Hansraj found that although an adult’s head weighs an average of 4.5 to 5.5 kilograms, bending the head forward by 15 degrees places a load of approximately 12 kilograms on the neck.
If neck and shoulder pain persists after a trip, it is best not to ignore it. The pain may improve naturally with rest, but if it continues for more than two to three weeks or is accompanied by numbness in the arms, medical attention is recommended rather than assuming it is merely muscle tension.
In Korean medicine, neck pain is treated with acupuncture, pharmacopuncture and Chuna Manual Therapy. During Chuna Manual Therapy, a Korean medicine doctor uses their hands to correct misalignment in the cervical spine and loosen stiff muscles, reducing pressure on the discs. Acupuncture helps relax tense muscles. Pharmacopuncture, which involves injecting purified herbal medicine ingredients into acupuncture points, is used to reduce inflammation.
Research has also confirmed pharmacopuncture’s effectiveness in reducing neck pain. Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine randomly assigned 101 patients with moderate or more severe chronic neck pain to a pharmacopuncture group of 50 and a physical therapy group of 51. The patients received treatment twice a week for four weeks. As a result, the pharmacopuncture group’s neck pain score on the Visual Analog Scale (VAS, 0–100) fell by 33.2 points, from 63.9 to 30.7. The physical therapy group recorded a decrease of only 17.4 points.
Of course, this does not mean you should avoid using your smartphone on an airplane. A few small habit changes can reduce the strain on your neck. Place the device on the tray table and keep it close to eye level. Rather than positioning a neck pillow around the back of your neck, place it so that it supports your chin and prevents it from dropping forward. About once an hour, stand in the aisle, slowly turn your neck from side to side and move your shoulders widely to prevent the muscles from stiffening. As we gain more ways to enjoy our time in the sky, we also need to make time for our necks to rest.
/Yeom Seung-cheol, Director of Gwangju Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine 


[email protected] Medical Specialist Jeong Myeong-jin Reporter