It seems with every new change in technology comes new correlating health issues. Texting while driving is an obvious no-no, but it turns out just texting in general is hazardous. You could get “text neck.”
Staring down at your phone is equivalent to 60 pounds of weight pressing down on your spine.
A new study in the journal Surgical Technology International demonstrates the issues that come from us spending anywhere from 2 to 4 hours a day looking down at our phone of smart device. The human head weights about 10 to 12 pounds on average, and when your head is angled down, the weight felt by the spine increases. Researchers found that while texting, the head is usually down by a 60 degree angle.
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This issue is in some ways pretty unavoidable because people will inevitable use their devices frequently. But the researchers recommend that we try to look at our phones from a more neutral spinal positioning (maybe hold your phone up a little bit more) or try to reduce the amount of time spent looking at your phone in general.
[Photo from flickr user Peronimo]
