I’m new here so don’t know if this is relevant to this site…
I notice st my child’s school they use laptops and are slouched down and forwards. This weakens the back muscles and isn’t good for development. We don’t know the impact on how this affects a child’s health later in life- anyone know of any attention on this?
I brought it to my daughters school tech persons attention and he said I was the first ever to ask…
healthyswimmer I have two doctors in our documentary film talking about this and text neck. It is a know fact that when you are always bent over looking down will cause problems in your neck, I would say you are correct about the kids. www.electroniccrack.weebly.com
Thx Apiner- I’ll check it out tomorrow thanks for sharing, sounds interesting!
hi @healthyswimmer, this a real thing… there is a news article on Dutch RTL today on people developing smartphone humpbacks and other strange tech-related complaints.
Its a known problem… I found this with tips to help out: https://www.gearandgrit.com/text-neck-fix-smartphone-humpback/
But there is much more to google/duckduck out there. I also think swimming (on your belly) is a good exercise, as your head will be bent backwards while doing it (swimming is overall a very good sport, imho)
@aschrijver Thx for sharing, I wasnt able to find the article you mentioned but searching humpback showed a host of useful info. If you have a link to the article can you please share it? I’m inteterested in learning about the other things mentioned. Thx again😀
@apiner I watched the trailer, I want to see more. Refreshing to see something created for the good of people, good work! Is the documentary playing now?
@healthyswimmer I am afraid the article is in Dutch only, but it was this link:
Bochels, stijfheid en pijn - Zo verandert je lichaam door smartphones
(title: Humpbacks, stiffness and pain - This is how smartphones change your body)
The article also mentions the ‘App-thumb’ pains, eye problems, effect on the brain, hearing loss (through headphone use), and obesity.
Thanks MJCLarge
We have our first film screening February 24th and many more to come. We are excited to bring this issue to the public. I am so glad I found this organization were everyone is on the same page.
Thx Apiner will there be any screenings in San Francisco Bay area? I’m grateful for this organization as well.
I agree with you!
Furthermore, since most jobs today require being glued to the computer all day (which is not good for one’s health and one’s vision in particular), it becomes like a factory or a coal mine of the past where workers were forced to breathe in dust or work in hazardous conditions, if they wanted to eat and feed their families.
One may argue that the extent to which one uses one’s phone is an act of free will. But if your work requires staring at a computer, it’s almost abusive, in a subtle, modern way.
Of course anyone here that lives in the USA is probably familiar with OSHA- Occupational and Safety Health Act. OSHA has a whistle blower line to call in and report unhealthy ergonomic positions.
It seems kids in the USA are not protected in this way yet, which is sad. Kids are just learning to use their voice and stand up to what isn’t right- so they are a vulnerable group needing advocates.
I used to be almost disabled because of back pain. I don’t know the exact cause because as I am from the US, I do not have any access to medical care unless I exit the borders. At the time I went to a free university clinic where they only treated some symptoms and I had to find a solution myself. I finally found online some new diagnosis (a dozen years ago) by one of the top doctors in the world in the field as something he identified as “upper cross syndrome”.
The problem was posture, something I had developed a long time while working in an “properly ergonomic” office but not sure of the exact cause. I have through my own effort gotten better, but still will quickly develop pain (and eventually disability) if I sit too long, if I look down at a smartphone, or if I use a laptop in the way everyone typically does.
Laptops are horribly designed ergonomically. Phones are worse. The problem is the distance between where your hands are and the screen is too small. On a laptop that’s only a few centimeters and on a phone your hands are on the screen so the distance is zero. Ideally, your hands should be at waist level and the screen should be just below eye level.
The solution I use now is weird, but I lay down on my back and hold my laptop upright against my knee by crossing my ankle over my other bent knee. The other option is to use an external monitor (such as in an office) but I find that cumbersome and tiring for more than a few hours. Yes these solutions may sound weird but you know I would say my back is healthier than most people now, compared to how I was before when I was almost disabled.
This is really an overlooked problem. Imagine what text neck will look like on a 60 year old who has been a lifelong smartphone user?
Very interesting observation you’ve made here. I wonder what the spine doctors in New York would say…
https://realspinesurgery.com/text-neck/
I work in medicine this is real…
Seems trivial but have t seen much lately about iPhone health effects - dealing myself with a nasty torticollis at the moment. Thoughts?
Look up “text neck”. You’ll see a host of information discovered from a spine surgeon in New York. Only thing is… most harm takes years to build- and once the injury is there it’s hard to reverse. Look up repetitive use injuries. Usually it takes just as long to reverse these as it took to build them.
Video of text neck, humpback neck: 3.5m views!