Do You Text Much? Here's What Great Harm Texting All Day Is Causing To Your Spine
Your Candy Crush addiction might be harming your neck more than your productivity.
By Sadho Ram — 23 Nov 2014, 12:28 PM — Updated almost 10 years ago
Hunching over your smartphone is the equivalent of placing a 60-pound of weight on your cervical spine (neck), according to a new study published in the journal Surgical Technology International
Kenneth Hansraj, a New York back surgeon, found this figure using a computer model of a human spine. An average human head weighs about 10 to 12 pounds, and tilting it down to check Facebook, send a text, or to Google the weight of an a human head increases the gravitational pull on said cranium.
theatlantic.com
That's roughly the weight of four adult-sized bowling balls. Or an 8-year-old. Or six plastic grocery bags worth of food.
In the paper, Hansraj explains, “The weight seen by the spine dramatically increases when flexing the head forward at varying degrees. ... As the head tilts forward the forces seen by the neck surges to 27 pounds at 15 degrees, 40 pounds at 30 degrees, 49 pounds at 45 degrees and 60 pounds at 60 degrees.”
slate.comWhile the study claims that it's "nearly impossible to avoid the technologies that cause these issues, you can always take preventative steps by looking at your phone by maintaining good posture. How? Watch this slightly over the top video:
The key is to keep the head in an upright position
To do this properly, start by extending the arms outward and then rotates palms toward the sky. This naturally rolls the shoulders back into a strong position. From there, the elbows can be bent inward, bringing the hands in front of your face.
Finally, angle your eyes downward to look at the screen while maintaining your neck in a position as though it were looking straight ahead.
This approach takes some getting used to. It’s awkward at first. But it’s better than permanent damage.
venturebeat.com