Using Your Smart Phone Could Cause Damage To Your Neck
Social Media Really Getting On Our Nerves
The wild proliferation of smartphones has meant that people are spending increasing amounts of time looking at their mobiles. It's no longer just about being able to call or text, but about checking Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and emails at any time of the day. Because you can access anything from your phone, you'll spend more time looking down at it. That may be damaging to your health.A new study, published in Surgical Technology International and conducted by Dr. Kenneth Hansraj, a spinal and orthopaedic surgeon, shows that looking down at your phone for long periods of time could cause a lot of damage to your neck. This could lead to: "early wear, tear, degeneration, and possible surgeries" according to Dr. Hansraj. Not something to be taken lightly.
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| source: mypinchednerveinneck.com |
The study outlines that looking down at your phone, to check your Facebook for instance, adds a lot more pressure to your neck. Your head weighs about 5kg, but when you're hunched over the pressure exerted is closer to 22kg. That's our times what it should be.
This 'condition' is called Text Neck. Dr. Hansraj called it an "epidemic" before adding: "Wherever you go, just look around: people are heads down into their phones, especially teenagers," He has also reported an increasing amount of people complaining about neck and back pains.
But, good news, there are ways to avoid it. Here are a few tips and how to avoid getting 'text neck'. First of all, avoid spending too much time checking your phone and make sure that you change positions frequently. Furthermore, instead of texting, make phone calls to rest your neck. You should also try doing little exercises to bring more strength and flexibility to your neck.
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| source: pexels.com |
'Text neck' is yet another technology related injury. We already knew about 'Texting Thumb' which is a condition caused by repetitively using your thumb to text, write emails, and update your Facebook status using a phone. It causes an aching and even throbbing pain to your thumb and wrist. One thing is sure, technology related injuries aren't going to to disappear just yet, but it's quite scary to think that doing something that is quite normal, like texting, could actually cause us some harm.
But hey, in the future, our bodies may adapt and change to prevent such injuries.
Laura is a recent graduate from University of East Anglia in Film and Television Studies, currently interning as a content writer but hoping to one day live off her writing. Follow her @LauraAtSMF.
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Using Your Smart Phone Could Cause Damage To Your Neck
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Reviewed by Anonymous
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Wednesday, December 03, 2014
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