Scientists reveal why scrolling in your telephone whereas sitting on the bathroom might offer you ‘textual content neck’
Smartphone-loving Brits are so attached to the devices that 60 per cent of us admit to using them while sitting on the toilet.
But now doctors have warned scrolling on the loo increases the risk of so-called ‘text neck’ – chronic pain and inflammation caused by the head leaning forward at an unnatural angle for too long.
Researchers found volunteers who looked at their phones for ten minutes on the toilet were much more likely to bend their neck at a harmful angle than those who left the gadgets elsewhere.
Previous studies have shown that up to 48 per cent of workers in the UK have neck problems related to the use of digital devices.
Young children and teenagers in the UK spend an average of 3.75 hours a day glued to their smartphones.
Adults are on them for even longer – an average of more than five hours a day. In an upright position, the human heads weighs 5kg (around 11 pounds).
That’s the load placed on the upper part of the spine. But at a 30 degree angle the force increases to 18kg – or 39 pounds.
And at 45 degrees – the angle many smartphone users position their head at – it jumps to 22kg (48 pounds), the equivalent of a seven-year-old child draped around the neck.
Doctors have warned scrolling on the loo increases the risk of so-called ‘text neck'(File image)
Other research has found the devices can be six times dirtier than toilet seats due to bathroom bug contamination (File image)
Scientists from Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, recruited 30 healthy young volunteers to measure sitting positions on the toilet.
All the recruits were fitted with motion sensors on the head, neck and spine and told to sit on the loo as they normally would for ten minutes before repeating the exercise – this time with their smartphones.
The results, in the journal Acta of Bioengineering and Biomechanics, showed that when they had their phones, many bent their necks forward at an angle of 48 degrees, compared to just 28 degrees whilst phone-free.
The findings add to the health risks of toilet scrolling.
Other research has found the devices can be six times dirtier than toilet seats due to bathroom bug contamination, while some experts have warned sitting hunched forward and scrolling also raises the risk of haemorrhoids – or piles.
In a report on their findings the researchers said: ‘The ‘text neck’ phenomenon is a significant contributor to the development of musculoskeletal disorders.
‘This sitting position places increased mechanical load on the spine, leading to muscle fatigue, discomfort and chronic pain.
‘And smartphone users tend to maintain these positions for extended periods, exacerbating the strain on their musculoskeletal system.’
