This Common Activity Could be Putting up to 60 Lbs of Strain on Your Spine!
Meme – New York surgeon Dr. Kenneth Hansraj researched and calculated the amount of pressure that we are putting on our neck and back due to all the texting, emailing, etc. that we’re doing on our smartphones. The results are pretty staggering. Hansraj writes in his paper:
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.
These stresses may lead to early wear, tear, degeneration, and possibly surgeries.
(The full report that was published in Surgical Technology International can be downloaded here: Spine-study.pdf)
Here’s what the various degrees of flexing the head forward look like:
If you have a tendency to tilt down your head when looking at your smartphone, you could put putting the weight of four adult-sized bowling balls on your spine…or six bags of groceries…or an 8 year old. Yikes! Maybe it’s time to train yourself to look straight when using the smartphone versus looking down.
Source:
http://www.theatlantic.com/
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