Health

Hours of looking down at smart phones is ruining our posture – but most Americans aren't worried


We all spend hours a day slouching toward our screens – but less than half of Americans are worried about what that’s doing to their backs, according to a new survey. 

The average person spends nearly four hours of their days looking down at their smart phone, throwing their entire back out of alignment. 

And spending even part of your day with such poor posture can contribute to a lifetime of back pain, poor circulation, trouble breathing and joint problems. 

Only 47 percent of Americans seemed concerned that their smart phones might be setting them up for pain and poor posture, a new Orlando health survey found – but experts there say that simple changes can avert your slump. 

Americans spend an average of three-and-a-half hours looking down at screens - but only 47% are worried about the increased pain and poorer circulation their bad posture can cause

Americans spend an average of three-and-a-half hours looking down at screens – but only 47% are worried about the increased pain and poorer circulation their bad posture can cause 

Smart phones have changed us – mentally and physically. 

And while frightening predictions of humans evolving misshapen hands and horned shoulders to better support our device-centric lives might not be realistic, our backs and bodies are morphing over the courses of our own lives. 

The amount of time we spend in front of the blue light of screens is straining our eyes, disrupting our sleep and slowly skewing our skeletons. 

Chiropractors have warned that they are seeing more younger people with bad backs and necks – even children. 

But compared to other potential health effects of phones, most Americans aren’t that worried about what’s happening to their posture, according to Better Health Orlando’s new survey of 2,000 people.  

They should, however, argues exercise physiologist Nathaniel Melendez, who conducted the survey. 

‘People don’t realize the strain they’re putting on their body when it is not aligned correctly, or just how far corrective exercises and daily adjustments can go toward improving pain and postural issue,’ Melendez said. 

He adds that there are many subtle positions we take that contribute to back pain suffered by 80 percent of Americans at some point over the course of their lives. 

‘It’s not just when you’re scrolling on your phone, but any time you put your body in a less-than-optimal position, whether that’s reading a book, working at a desk or lounging on the couch,’ said Melendez. 

The ‘W test’ involves keeping your elbows, hands and lower back touching a wall while moving your arms up and down – a challenge for those with bad posture, explains Orlando exercise physiologist Nathaniel Melendez (pictured) 

And those less than optimal positions are literally weighing us down more than we realize. 

Melendez explained that each inch forward, out of alignment with your spine your head moves, the position adds 10 lbs of pressure your body. 

‘Let’s just say, for example, your head moves four inches in front of your body while you’re looking down at your phone or reading a book – that’s the equivalent of having a child sitting on your shoulders the whole time,’ Melendez said.  

The longer you go on like that, the greater your risks of pain, bad circulation and agitated arthritis are. 

But Melendez recommends some easy adjustments to help correct poor posture and lessen the damage it does – but they are perhaps not the ones we might expect. 

‘Just doing strength training will not help your posture or the pain it’s causing,’ said Melendez.

‘I work with people specifically on strengthening their core and doing some corrective postural exercises. We also do a lot of functional training exercises, which mimic daily life.’ 

Melendez helped Dr Lushantha Gunasekera, an Orlando Health cardiologist, get rid of his back pain from standing or leaning over patients with simple exercises that ‘mimic every day life’ 

That’s what he did with Dr Lushantha Gunasekera, a cardiologist at Orlando Health, who spends much of his day on his feat but leaned over patients (or his phone). 

‘I had pain in my back and neck on my right side, and I realized that’s the side I always lean to when checking a patient or entering information into the computer during an exam,’ said Dr Gunasekera. 

Melendez tested his client’s posture with the ‘W test.’  

To do this, you stand against a wall, with your feet about six inches from the wall, but keep your lower back, elbows all touching it. 

As you move your hands up and down the wall, you should be able to keep all points of contact intact – but many people can’t, because their posture is suffering. 

Melendez also taught Dr Gunasekera to simply be mindful of his posture and engage his core – and the cardiologist says it’s gone a long way to improve his posture and day-to-day life.

‘When I find myself reverting back to old habits, I think about sitting or standing straight and pulling my shoulders back,’ said Gunasekera. 

‘Discussing what I was doing incorrectly and working on my mobility and core has really helped, and the pain I had has been completely eliminated.’    



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