Study Suggests You Might Want To Think Twice Before Checking Your Smartphone, Find Out Why

It is safe to say that we all have smart phones, or at the very least, a cell phone. With the advent of smart phones, and the internet connectivity that comes with it, we tend to spend an awful lot of face time with our phones. So it should come as no surprise that the potential to cause physical harm while doing this is a reality.

Though many believe that texting while driving to be the true danger, a new study suggests there is more to worry about. According to Science Alert, a study suggests looking down at your phone can cause severe strain on your neck and spine.

This might seem like common sense, but the amount of pressure on your neck that a smart or regular phone is causing is actually dangerous, according to Olga Khazan in an interview with the Atlantic.

“[Y]our phone is putting 27-kg of force on your neck. That’s like one giant anteater, or four full-sized bowling balls worth of strain on your neck, and you’re doing it several times a day.”

According to the study, the average person spends up to four hours a day just facing down towards their phones and smart phones. Whether checking a text message, email, or surfing the web, it is all in the motion of bending your neck to look down.

The study was led by Kenneth Hansraj. He is the chief spinal and orthopedic surgeon at the New York Spine Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine in America. He explains that, as you bend your neck, the weight and pressure progressively get worse. Thus, the more you bend your neck to text on your smart phone, the more pressure and strain you cause.

“As the head tilts forward, the forces seen by the neck surge to 27 pounds (12 kg) at 15 degrees, 40 pounds (18 kg) at 30 degrees, 49 pounds (22 kg) at 45 degrees and 60 pounds (27 kg) at 60 degrees.”

However, before you abandon your smart phone and all your technological possessions, musculoskeletal physiotherapist Tamer Sabet says that the study is a “theoretical, mathematical model, and has substantial limitations.”

Sabet suggests that it is more than just one singular factor that can make such a determination. He explains several factors that could help find the determining factor.

“Non-physical factors like age, sex, type of employment and stress at work are identified, and it could be caused by differing work activities and psycho-social factors. There is an increasing body of information on genetic predisposition, personality traits or mood, and physical environment [as being associated with neck pain].”

Sabet further explains that the correlation between bending ones neck to text or enjoy your smart phone is something that “needs to be studied further.” This seemingly would appear more relevant and possible than Blackberry or iPhone Thumb, as the Inquisitr reported on in 2010.

[Images Via Getty Images And Surgical Technology International]