In the age of the pandemic, we’re all glued to our smart devices. If you spend hours slouched and hunched over your laptop or on your phone, you’re most likely going to be afflicted with neck pain. ‘Tech neck’ is a device use-induced pain that is caused by repeatedly bending your head forward to look at a screen. Applying excess pressure on your bones and spine causes your neck to strain and the added weight of your head needs to be compensated for by muscles around it. These lock themselves down to secure your head and can lead to stiff shoulders and headaches and spine issues over time. Don’t believe us? The physics will shock you.
A 2014 study published in the Surgical Technology International found that when you tilt your head at a 45-degree angle to look at your phone, the weight of it increases to 22 kilograms. This causes the muscles around it to tighten up, ultimately leading to damage to the spinal cord.