Who would hang 60lbs from their neck? Surely not you! Well, maybe you would if it involved a smart phone.
According to a recent study by a surgical group, your head in forward flexion (looking down) can place an extra 20 to 60 pounds of weight on your neck.
Not a big deal for just a few minutes per day.
Americans spend 5 hours per day on a cell phone
But on average, Americans spend almost 5 hours per day on their smart phone (according to DigitalTrends.com). Much of that time is looking down, placing extra weight on the neck and spine.
And the text neck and pain situation may be worse for the younger generation. A study of cell phone users age 18 to 44 revealed 80% had their phone in-hand up to 90% of their day!
Why is this a problem?
It’s only a problem if you want to avoid:
- headaches,
- neck pain,
- nausea,
- dizziness,
- disc disease,
- arthritis,
- numbness and tingling in the arms and hands,
- and the potential development of a chronic pain syndrome.
It’s also only a problem if you’re concerned about developing a hunchback, and you care how others perceive your poor posture. Your head and neck were made to face forward for much of the time, and to look down when necessary.
So, here’s a few tips for avoiding the face down cell phone posture:
- Bring the smart phone and screen up and support your elbow
- And regularly switch hands
- And regularly switch dominant fingers you use on the screen
- When at home or at the office consider using a gooseneck cell phone holder that allows you to bring the cell phone up to face level
Your chiropractor will thank you. And so will your spine and nervous system.
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