It’s not just young people of working age who use smartphones for a long time every day. But today’s children Teenagers of school age also use the Internet for more hours a day. clearly indicated by information from “Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA)” or #ETDA survey found that Thai people in 2022 Gen Y uses internet up to 8 hours 55 minutes a day, followed by Gen Z uses internet up to 8 hours 24 minutes a day. which has an adverse effect on the body and the eyes unconsciously
Especially those who use the Internet through mobile phones have a behavior of “bowing down”, looking at the smartphone screen for a long time. It will be more affected on the neck and back, such as neck pain, headache, back pain, these symptoms have a modern medical definition called. “Text Neck” (Text Neck Syndrome) or neck and back pain caused by bending over to use a smartphone
There is data from research by Dr. Kennett Hansraj, spine surgeon in New York. A paper published in the 25th issue of the medical journal “Surgical Technology International” states that Text Neck Syndrome can cause pain in your neck and back. The results of this research found that bending his head to look at the phone in that hand can put up to 60 pounds of pressure on your neck, or about 27.2 kilograms, with your head down very low. There will be a lot of pressure on him too.
He compared the results of a study comparing mobile phone users with “head down” behaviour, looking at the screen at different angles for every 15 degrees you bend down and tilt your head forward. The pressure on your spine is doubled as follows:
- Bend your face 0 degrees (not facing down) there will be no pressure on it. The body only bears 5 kg of the weight of the head.
- Bend your face 15 degrees, it will be about 12.2 kg of weight.
- Bend your face 30 degrees, it will be about 18.1 kg of weight.
- Bend the surface 45 degrees, it will weigh about 22.2 kg.
- If you bend your face 60 degrees, there will be about 27.2 kg of weight.
All the extra weight puts it on your spine and it can gradually move out of its original position. It also makes the tissue that has been stretched for a long time. Often inflamed to the point of pain.
In addition, if there is a behavior of looking down at the mobile phone screen like this accumulating for a long time It will have a long-term negative effect. muscle tightening herniated disc Symptoms of nerve compression It can also cause your cervical vertebrae to bend and deform.
not only that There is also information from Dr. Michelle Collie, director of physical therapy in Rhode Island. also states that Mobile phone use behavior until text throat symptoms are found in increasingly younger patients.
Also, bending your head and bending over to look at the mobile phone screen for a long time It also creates problems with the metabolic system in the body. reduced lung function with information confirming that bending and bending can reduce lung capacity by up to 30%.
When the body receives less oxygen it can lead to hypoxia and increase the risk of vascular disease. It also affects digestive problems. This causes poor digestion due to pressure on the body’s internal organs.
read here You have probably seen that bending the screen of your mobile phone for a long time affects health in many dimensions However, people in this age would not be able to stop bending to play with phones definitely mobile. As you still have to use your smartphone in everyday life, so it is important to adjust your behavior when using your smartphone. And probably the only solution to this problem is enough to help the health of the body not to deteriorate. Dr Michelle Collie has advice on modifying behavior as follows
1. Always be aware of your body: If you accidentally bend your head and your back is bent at any time, make sure you straighten your back.
2. Adjust the head and neck to fit the spine: With your feet flat on the floor, lift your chest and move your shoulders back. Then adjust your ears to meet your shoulders. To keep your head from leaning forward too much.
3. Use a mobile stand instead of using your hands to hold: Look for a cell phone support or wrist protection from the weight of the smartphone. Instead of using your hands because if you use your hand to hold a smartphone for a long time This will cause the muscles of the arms, shoulders, shoulders and neck to tighten, causing neck pain and palpitations head
4. Buy headphones : Use a headset to connect to your smartphone for long conversations or meetings. Instead of holding and lifting your smartphone to your ear To help reduce muscle contraction in the arms, shoulders and back
Most importantly, take a break from the screen every 20 minutes when using your smartphone or tablet or even a laptop. then stand up Rotate the shoulders and neck. or walk a short distance for better blood flow
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Reference: CNN, clevelandclinic.org, text-neck.
