According to a spine surgeon, staring down at your mobile device is like having a 60 pound weight on your neck.  That’s like having an 8-year old sit on your head while you try to find the proper emoji to text back to your friend.  That sounds healthy… Our mobile and tablet devices have transformed the way we hold our bodies and not in a good way (which would’ve been nice).

This is what looking down at your mobile device does to your spine:

I’m sure this doesn’t come to a surprise to you: moving your head forward and having that amount of force on your neck and spine isn’t good for your health.  The average person spends two to four hours a day in this position!  Dr. Kenneth Hansraj, chief of spine surgery at NY Spine Surgery & Rehabilitation Medicine, developed the computer model that you see above.  Dr Hansraj writes that good posture is having your ears aligned with the shoulders and your shoulder blades back.  I guarantee you just adjusted yourself no matter what device you’re reading this on.  Having good posture as Dr. Hansraj describes lowers body stress and decreases cortisol.  On the other hand, poor posture stresses the spine and can lead to early wear and tear, and potentially surgery.

A few quick solutions:

• Hold your phone straight in front of you (of course, because that’s what all the cool kids are doing) instead of bending your head down.
• Place your mobile device or tablet at a 30 degree angle when typing, which helps protect your wrists.
• STRETCH YOUR NECK back to correct a forward neck posture.

I hope you were reading this on a desktop at least…

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