Texting the Wrong Way Is a Real Pain in the Neck - and Shoulders - East Idaho News

Texting the Wrong Way Is a Real Pain in the Neck — and Shoulders

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getty 112014 texting?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1416497948922iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Some experts will tell you that it’s not what you text that might be bad for your health but how you text.

A study in the journal Surgical Technology International examined the ways people stand when in the act of texting and how it affects the natural curve of the cervical spine located right above your shoulders.

Simply tipping your head at a 60-degree angle to read or send a text puts 60 pounds of pressure on the cervical spine, which is incredible when you think that the typical head only weights ten-to-12 pounds.

Study author Dr. Kenneth K. Hansraj, chief of Spine Surgery at New York Spine Surgery & Rehabilitation Medicine, says that the best way to text is by keeping the head in an upright position and raising the phone upwards. Even moving it downwards just 15 degrees puts 27 pounds of pressure on the cervical spine.

Making the effort will take some practice but it’s well worth it, according to Hansraj, since constantly hunching over hour after hour could lead to headaches, neck pain and even possibly surgery to repair the cervical spine worn down by so much added pressure.


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