An epidemic of cell phone use -- 91 percent of adults had one in 2013, according to the Pew Research Center -- has led to an epidemic of "text neck," according to new medical research. A study this month by Kenneth Hansraj demonstrates how the weight on the cervical spine increases as the head bends forward: about 27 pounds at 15 degrees, 40 pounds at 30 degrees, 49 pounds at 45 degrees and 60 pounds at 60 degrees.
Which is bad.
"As you stretch the tissue for along period of time, it gets sore, it gets inflamed," Tom DiAngelis, president of the American Physical Therapy Association's Private Practice Section, told CNN in 2012.
Medical experts say the behavior ("text neck"), and the poor posture that allows it, can cause more than back and neck pain or metabolic issues: It's degenerative and has been linked to depression and heart disease, as well as neurological issues.
Research shows that the 58 percent of Americans who own smartphones "spend an average of two to four hours per day hunched over, reading e-mails, sending texts or checking social media sites," the Washington Post reports.
Hansraj -- who told the Post that he loves technology; he just also loves spines -- offered some tips, on "The Today Show", including: look down with your eyes, not your neck; and "move your head from left to right several times and touch your ear to your shoulder on both sides."
Or you can download this app.
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