Texting Can Be a Pain in the Neck, Shoulders

Chelsea Parris
Nov. 13 2009
1:12pm

This article discusses how too much text messaging may increase the risk of neck or shoulder pain. The more college students texted, the more pain they reported in their necks and shoulders. Most people aged 18 to 21 prefer texting rather than email or phone calls, which is possibly putting the younger generation at increased risk for overuse injuries once associated with older folks who’ve spent years tapping computer keys. "The way the body is positioned for texting -- stationary shoulders and back with rapidly moving fingers -- is similar to the position for typing on a computer." Judith Gold and colleagues conducted a study of 138 college students to see if correlations exist between the number of text messages sent per day and pain in the upper body. They used body maps for the students to indicate areas of discomfort. The students were asked how many text messages they sent per day. They propose that males might be particularly susceptible to physical discomfort related to texting.

I found this article very relevant to young people. I do believe that cell phone usage has become ridiculous and especially texting. I know that I prefer to text rather than talk on the phone or email. It's sad because I have become rather good at texting. I do have trouble believing that there can be really severe consequences of texting though. The studies are still relatively new and I don't see how the neck or shoulder pain could be related back specifically to texting. How do researchers know that it wasn't something else?

http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/news/20091112/texting-can-be-a-pain-in-the-neck-shoulders