Science & Technology

Does your neck or shoulder hurt - after one of those long mobile phone screen-time sessions that you have become accustomed to?  

Do you feel pain on your wrist or numbness on your thumb? 

You might be a victim of some painful conditions caused by prolonged phone use.

In 2021, people spent 4.8 hours a day on average on their phones in the top 10 markets globally, which was an increase of 30 percent from 2019, according to a survey carried out by mobile-analytics firm App Annie.

The human body is flexible and adapting constantly to the changing natural or cultural environment. Advancing science and technologies have put new evolutionary pressure on the human race.

Now new researches suggest that adaptation pressure is not just limited to human psychology but also to the physical appearance of humans. 

• Head Horns

Check your skull if you have already developed a horn!

The 2018 research paper published in Nature journal suggests the appearance of “head horns”, also known as the “external occipital protuberance” at the lower back of the skull, just above the neck can be correlated to the use of “handheld technology devices” among youths.

Two Australian researchers involved in the research hypothesised the bone growth in the skull was caused by the increase in load to the neck due to forward hunching down to use the phones for media consumption, gaming or social reasons. 

The paper also notes the pressure on the neck due to forward craning of a “watermelon” sized head creates three to five times higher pressure than normally sitting head straight. 

David Sahar, a health scientist involved in the research told BBC in June 2019 that the increased pressure triggers the bone growth in the skull to support the muscles and tendons. 

Prior to the research, head horns were thought to be related to age and only occur in old age. 
However met with the critical thoughts among the scientific community regarding the methods involved in the research, the paper contrasting the prior belief has presented new evidence and a new reason to crank down phone use. 

• Tech Neck

Stand and Stretch!

The other very similar problem due to craning down of the head is tech neck or text neck. The head is a delicately balanced part over the spine but leaning forward to use the phone and other handhelds develops strain on the muscles. 

The pain caused by that stress is called ‘tech neck’. Just tilting the head 30 degrees increases the strain to about 18 kilograms – gravity pulls. Over time, the head shifts forward which is called ‘head carriage’ exacerbating the problem. 

The tech neck if left untreated for long can cause severe problems including headaches, pinched nerves, arthritis, bone spurs and muscular deformation, disc degeneration and nerve complications.

Critics argue the problem of forward-leaning is not new, people have been reading books and newspapers even before the dawn of mobile phones but the answer to the problem lies in sheer time. 4.8 hours, the average time spent on the phone now, is nearly double the amount people read on average in 1973, according to a journal article ‘What do adults read?’

Andrew Lui, a physical therapist and associate clinical professor at the University of California San Francisco's Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science Department told USA Today in April 2018: “If your ears are not lined up with your shoulders, your posture may be promoting chronic pain.”

• Texters Thumb

Limit your finger marathon!

Also known as gamers’ thumb, texters’ thumb is caused by too much tapping and swiping. It is a stress on the muscles and tendons due to the repetitive task and can lead to cramping and discomfort of the thumb and lower wrist. 

However temporary, thumb arthritis – a permanent injury to the thumb developed as a complication – can require surgery.

Please, calculate the distance your finger travels on screen in a day. 

It can be more than Messi does in a football match. 

• Prevention

It is simple, doing less of what caused the pain, is the prevention. Reducing the time craning down and scrolling on the screen will surely help. 

But if you are among those who feel thrown back to the Stone Age for not using the phone can take breaks in between.

Therapist Lui said that moving the screen up so that one does not have to lean will be a better preventative measure. Consulting a doctor if any pain is seen is a way to prevent chronic pain, he added. 

The pain in the thumb and neck, and enthesophytes – horn – is the result of sustained pressure because of improper posture. Conscious posture maintenance will be a solution, he suggested.

There are inbuilt features in both iOS and Android, to help control phone addiction, which can be helpful to bring down your screen time. In Android 10 or higher, there is a system feature or app called ‘Digital Wellbeing’ which has various tools to help curb down the screen on time. A similar feature can be found on iOS in settings.

Relating to the evolutionary pressure created by smartphone use, Senior Journalist at BBC Future, Zaria Gorvett in her June 2019 article questions: “So what will future archaeologists make of our skeletons, when they examine them from their spaceships?”

In a similar case, Kaiwei Tang, co-founder and CEO of Light Phone – a dumb phone company –said: “If aliens came to the earth, they’d think mobile phones are the superior species controlling human beings.”