You might want to think twice about your texting posture if using your phone has ever made you feel tense. And although it may seem unfeasible to continually correct your posture, South Korean researchers may have just discovered a more ergonomic method to hold your phone (1).
Because phones have taken a toll on our necks and shoulders, even though we adore them for the connectivity and convenience they provide. It may seem strange that we would advise you to lie down. But according to this study, the greatest way to prevent pain when using a phone is to lie on your side.
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Using your devices with poor posture might eventually cause neck and upper back pain, as well as pain in your arms and wrists. Therefore, to determine the most effective strategy to reduce the strain, researchers examined the effects of having thirty healthy young adults use their phones while sitting, lying on their sides, or resting on their backs.
For each of the three positions, the participants used their phones for five minutes at a time, taking five minutes off in between. An electromyograph recorded the activity in the muscles, ranging from the wrists to the elbows and beyond.
The electromyograph showed that the patients’ muscles were most active when they were seated, and the angles of some of their joints showed how much strain their bodies were under. On the other hand, the joints of the people who were lying down had more neutral angles. Furthermore, scans revealed the least amount of muscular activity.
This suggests that the best alignment for using a phone while resting on your side is preferable to lying on your back. There has never been a better moment to examine our tech habits, especially considering the knowledge that posture can influence other areas of your health, such as emotions (2) and your respiratory system (3).
Of course, there are times during the day when it’s not appropriate to merely lie down, but bear this in mind when you’re relaxing at home, particularly if using a phone is causing pain in your neck. Don’t forget to include some of these shoulder and neck exercises for the days when you’re more focused on relief than prevention.
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2. Upright posture improves affect and fatigue in people with depressive symptoms – PubMed (nih.gov)
3. Effect of forward head posture on thoracic shape and respiratory function – PMC (nih.gov)
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