Chief of Spine Surgery at New York Spine Surgery & Rehabilitation
Over time, researchers say, this poor posture, sometimes called “text neck,” can lead to early wear-and-tear on the spine, degeneration and even surgery..."
“It is an epidemic or, at least, it’s very common... just look around you, everyone has their heads down.”
"The human head weighs about a dozen pounds. But as the neck bends forward and down, the weight on the cervical spine begins to increase. At a 15-degree angle, this weight is about 27 pounds, at 30 degrees it’s 40 pounds, at 45 degrees it’s 49 pounds, and at 60 degrees it’s 60 pounds."
"Imagine carrying an 8-year-old around your neck several hours per day. Smartphone users spend an average of two to four hours per day hunched over, reading e-mails, sending texts or checking social media sites. That’s 700 to 1,400 hours per year people are putting stress on their spines, according to the research. And high-schoolers might be the worst. They could conceivably spend an additional 5,000 hours in this position."
“The problem is really profound in young people. With this excessive stress in the neck, we might start seeing young people needing spine care. I would really like to see parents showing more guidance.”
President of the American Physical Therapy Association's Private Practice Section
DiAngelis told CNN last year the effect is similar to bending a finger all the way back and holding it there for about an hour...
“As you stretch the tissue for a long period of time, it gets sore, it gets inflamed. It can also cause muscle strain, pinched nerves, herniated disks and, over time, it can even remove the neck’s natural curve."
It’s a risk for some 58 percent of American adults who own smartphones.
Poor posture can cause other problems as well. Experts say it can reduce lung capacity by as much as 30 percent. It has also been linked to headaches and neurological issues, depression and heart disease