Most people are surprised by the rapid advance of technology in the past decade. This progress is stunning and a little bit scary too.
Who would have imagined that we will all have cell phones with touch screens and access to the Internet 20 years ago?
The most intriguing part of this progress in the field of technology is the effect of this progress on your lifestyle and health.
For example, using a cell phone on a regular basis can change your body posture and of course, not in a good way.
According to some experts, holding your device down and looking at the screen can be compared to holding an 8-year old child on top of your head.
When we are browsing the internet and reading text messages on a smartphone we are actually adding pressure to the neck that is equal to about 60 pounds of weight.
The virtual model that you are looking at was developed by Dr. Kenneth K. Hansraj, head of spinal surgery at reputed New York Spine Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine.
He found out that the movement forward that we usually make when we use cell phones is actually adding too much pressure on the neck and cervical spine and is very harmful to our health.
Yet, an average person spends between 2 and 4 hours in this position on a daily basis.
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Dr. Hansraj’s research was published in the respected Surgical Technology International and it concludes that good posture is linked to the proper alignment of ears with shoulders and keeping shoulder blades back. This is a good way to reduce body stress and control cortisol levels. If we practice poor posture then we stress the cervical spine and we can expect many health problems in the future and some of them may require surgery.
So, how to limit the negative effects? Keep your cell phone right in front of you instead of keeping your head down. If you use a tablet (tap or type on it), always use it at a 30-degree angle. Gently stretch your neck and take breaks once in a while.
References: Life Hacker | CNET