Not smartphone, gender and posture is to be blamed for pain in the neck, study suggests
| Jun 22, 2018, 16:07 IST
These days everyone is glued to some screen be it the TV, phone or iPad. But what makes it all the more worse is that smartphones can cause people to slouch and tilt their head downward for long periods of time. The pain, also known as iPad neck, that develops in your neck after prolonged use of your smartphone, is apparently not completely caused by using your smartphone. A study found that persistent pain in the neck and upper shoulders due to excessive use of tablets — was worse in women. Which means gender also plays an important role here.
Reportedly, women are two times as likely to suffer from this pain as compared to men. The most frequently reported symptoms were stiffness, soreness, or aching pain in the neck, upper back, shoulder, arms, hands, or head. “Theoretically, the more hours you spend bent over an iPad, the more neck and shoulder pain you experience - but what we found is that time is not the most important risk factor. Rather, it’s gender and specific postures,” said a professor. As per researchers, this occurs because women tend to have lower muscle strength and smaller stature that lead to extreme postures while typing. Well, looks like you need to give that smartphone a rest.
Reportedly, women are two times as likely to suffer from this pain as compared to men. The most frequently reported symptoms were stiffness, soreness, or aching pain in the neck, upper back, shoulder, arms, hands, or head. “Theoretically, the more hours you spend bent over an iPad, the more neck and shoulder pain you experience - but what we found is that time is not the most important risk factor. Rather, it’s gender and specific postures,” said a professor. As per researchers, this occurs because women tend to have lower muscle strength and smaller stature that lead to extreme postures while typing. Well, looks like you need to give that smartphone a rest.