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Our beloved gadgets are turning us into a generation of hunchbacked invalids, according to a new survey by the British Chiropractic Association (BCA).
The BCA has revealed 24 per cent of Brits have complained of neck or shoulder pain while using or carrying gadgets and suggest things may get worse, with 29 per cent of us typically carrying two or more items of technology a day.
The biggest culprit appears to be the humble smart phone. Some 44 per cent of people who own one typically spend between 30 and 120 minutes per day performing non-call-related tasks such as texting, surfing, using apps and telling the world what you’ve had for elevenses on social-networking sites.
Twitter has been identified as a major cause of people being hunched over their gadgets. The microblogging service has seen a 182 per cent increase in mobile users, together sending 140 million Tweets every day.
“There is no doubt that technology plays a significant role in our daily lives, however the knock-on effect is that we now carry more gadgets around with us and spend more of our time peering into small screens,” said the BCA’s Tim Hutchful. “It is important that we recognise the potential impact on our bodies and learn to lessen the impact on pressure points with some simple steps.”
Here at Crave we’d rather end up on crutches, popping painkillers like Skittles, than give up our beloved gadgets, but the BCA says there are steps you can take to delay the onset of a mangled back.
It recommends sitting in chairs that provide full support for your spine and making sure your shoulders, hips and knees face the same direction. Your seat should be adjusted so your feet are flat on the ground and knees bent, but with a slope from your hips to your knees. You should also sit with your head directly over your body, as bending it forward can cause back strain.
For more information on the irreversible damage you’re doing to yourself while playing Tiny Tower, and for more tips on how to reduce this damage, head over to the BCA’s website. Have you suffered for your gadget love? Share your pain in the comments below, or over on our Facebook page.
