June 22, 2015
The Shocking Truth: What Texting Does to Your Body and Your Brain!
It is estimated that the average person sends and receives upwards of 50 texts a day. While it may seem like a convenient and harmless way to communicate with others, there have been studies that reveal the dangerous downsides to text-overload. We expose the physical and neurological effects texting can have on you:
Physical Effects:
Kenneth Hansraj, MD. conducted research last year on the spinal pressure caused by the head down position we often assume while texting. This pressure can lead to frequent back and neck pain, so it is advised to hold your phone so it aligns with your eyes.
Manual texting can cause pain in your wrist and what's known as "texting thumb". Texting thumb occurs when your flexor tendons are restricted and can lead to loss of range of motion and decreased grip strength. Using the voice recognition tool instead or incorporating your other fingers while texting may not look as cool, but it can save you a lot of pain and damage.
Neurological Effects:
The head down position in which we text can also reek havoc on our nerves, and even lead to neurological symptoms. Occipital neuralgia is a condition caused by nerve compression due to the craning of the neck in the assumed "smart phone position". It can result in burning headaches localized to the back of the head. The condition is treatable with a series of injections, but not necessarily curable.
Did any of these surprise you? What tricks have you implemented to fix your poor smartphone posture? Share your thoughts with us!
Physical Effects:
Kenneth Hansraj, MD. conducted research last year on the spinal pressure caused by the head down position we often assume while texting. This pressure can lead to frequent back and neck pain, so it is advised to hold your phone so it aligns with your eyes.
Manual texting can cause pain in your wrist and what's known as "texting thumb". Texting thumb occurs when your flexor tendons are restricted and can lead to loss of range of motion and decreased grip strength. Using the voice recognition tool instead or incorporating your other fingers while texting may not look as cool, but it can save you a lot of pain and damage.
Neurological Effects:
The head down position in which we text can also reek havoc on our nerves, and even lead to neurological symptoms. Occipital neuralgia is a condition caused by nerve compression due to the craning of the neck in the assumed "smart phone position". It can result in burning headaches localized to the back of the head. The condition is treatable with a series of injections, but not necessarily curable.
Did any of these surprise you? What tricks have you implemented to fix your poor smartphone posture? Share your thoughts with us!