Too Much Texting May Be Bad For Your Health

Researchers have found that excessive texting hurts neck and shoulders.

By Dena Afrasiabi

Could your texting habits cause you physical pain? Researchers from Temple University in Philadelphia studied 138 college students to find out if a correlation exists between texting and shoulder and neck pain. Since college students tend to prefer texting to calling or other modes of communication, the researchers chose to focus on their texting habits. They asked the students how many texts they sent per day and found that the students who texted the most were more prone to developing pain and discomfort in the neck and shoulders. On the whole, more men than women were affected.

The study found that the impact of texting on the upper body is similar to the impact of typing. Dr. Judith Gold, an epidemiologist from the College of Health Professions and Social Work presented the results of the study at a meeting of the American Public Health Association. "What we've seen so far is similar to what we''ve seen with office workers who've spent most of their time at a computer. 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," Gold said. The researchers said they will need further testing to determine the long-term physical effects of texting.