What do six sacks of potatoes, six large watermelons and an 8-year-old child have in common? All are equal to the amount of pressure texting puts on your back. Text neck causes soreness and pain in the neck, upper back, and shoulders. The pain typically can range from a chronic, nagging pain in neck and upper back caused by looking down at an electronic device(cell phone) too much each day.
We’ve all heard about the neck and back strain associated with hunching over a computer screen on a daily basis, but now smartphones are grabbing the spotlight as a common spinal stressor for your neck and back.
According to a new study in Surgical Technology International, craning the neck over a cell phone to text, tweet, or check Facebook can exert an extra 60 pounds of weight on the head of an adult, leading to potential spinal problems.
As the head tilts forward, the forces seen on the neck surges to 27 pounds @ 15 degrees, 40 pounds @ 30 degrees, and 49 pounds at 45 degrees. This stress on the spine is coupled with the amount of time that is spent doing one of the positions.
This is something to think about when you are using electronic devices.