It turns out that texting can be pretty bad for you!! Yahoo Health is reporting that excessive texting “can exert an extra 60 pounds of weight on the head of an adult.”
Dr. Kenneth K. Hansraj, a spinal surgeon from New York, has created a model of the cervical spine to measure the amount of gravitational force exerted on the head during smartphone usage. He measured the force at different angles and found that the farther your head tilts forward, the more dramatically the weight increases on your neck and spine.
He writes in his paper “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.” He also says this can lead to “early wear, tear, degeneration, and possibly surgeries.”
60 pounds is equal to six sacks of potatoes, six large watermelons or an 8-year-old child.
Yahoo says “Most people spend two to four hours a day on phones and other tech gadgets, resulting in at least an extra 700 to 1,400 hours of stress on the neck and spine each year.”
Hansraj says “My message is about bringing consciousness to the use of these devices…It’s amazing how many people globally are in a ‘heads down’ position.” He’s totally right!! Cell phones are definitely taking over!!
