This is how texting is messing up your spine

Every so often, I stumble across news about how texting is destroying our bodies—I still think about a study I once read that said looking down at our phones all day is destroying the elasticity in our neck skin and giving us all early jowls at least twice a day. I promise, this image and info is definitely going to stick with you, too (sorry!).

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Spinal doctor Kenneth Hansraj recently published a paper in the journal Surgery Technology International on how the way we hunch over our phones is affecting our bodies—and, apparently, it's adding an extra 60 pounds of weight to our spines. Hansraj wrote, "An adult head weighs 10 to 12 pounds in the neutral position. As the head tilts forward, the forces seen by the neck surges to 27 pounds at 15 degrees, 40 pounds at 30 degrees, 49 pounds at 45 degrees and 60 pounds at 60 degrees." Bet that just made you sit up a little straighter.

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No wonder our necks hurt after a long commute of staring at our phones (or, I'd guess, a long day staring down at your laptop, too)! After years of that terrible phone-induced posture, Hansraj added, your back and neck muscles could deteriorate to the point of needing surgery. But, if Hansraj's words don't have a significant effect on you, I'd suggest staring at the image above for a little bit. That will make you re-think your stance on good posture.

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(Oh, and P.S.—fixing your posture is also the quickest way to relieve stress and give yourself a quick self-esteem boost at work. Just saying!)