How Technology is Affecting our Posture
How Technology is Affecting our Posture
The world of technology is the fastest growing industry in the world. Technology is now at the centre of everything we do; from communication to gaming to environmental solutions; it is everywhere we look. But as much as it is transforming our lives, technology is also having a humongous impact on our physical health, and more specifically, our postures.
On average, a baby starts holding the weight of their own head between 3 and 4 months; they’re sitting unaided by the time they’re 4-7 months; and most are walking by the time they’re between 12 and 18 months. Once they’re doing all of this, take note of their posture. On the whole, it’s normally pretty good. Similarly, if you watch a toddler bend down and pick something off the floor, you’ll notice that they’ll ‘bob down’ and their back will remain completely straight. What we’re saying here is that we are born with relatively good posture, it’s only when we get older that we pick up bad habits, and our postures suffer as a result.
How technology affects our posture
The prevalence of technology within our everyday lives is having a massive effect on not only our postures, but the actual need for us to stand up and move around. People are now able to turn lights and appliances on without leaving their armchair and we can see and speak to our friends and family without going to see them. Below are explanations as to how the use of technology affects our posture, and more specifically the impact it has on our necks and backs.
Desktop Computers and Laptops
Sitting in front of your computer for hours at a time strains your neck and back. In order to see the screen better, you lean forward and extend your neck towards the screen. This pulls your torso out in front of your hips and your shoulders rise as you type on your keyboard.
Mobile Phones
When you’re next in a public place, take a moment to look around and note how many people are looking at their mobile phones. Look again and notice how those people are stood. Chances are, their head will be forward and their shoulders will be hunched. Your head weighs an average of eight pounds. It is designed to balance on top of your neck, where that weight can be supported by your entire spine. When you head hangs forward and is no longer balanced at the top of your neck, the muscles in your neck have to work extra hard to support it.
Tablets
When people are using their tablets, their posture is often similar to that when they are using their mobile phone. However, nowadays, people often get themselves curled up on the sofa and use their tablets to watch videos, tv programmes or films. When you’re sat like this for long periods of time, it reduces the circulation in your legs and your lower back is unsupported.
Nowadays, children are being introduced to smartphones and tablets from as young as 2-3 years old, meaning they develop poor posture before they have even mastered basic motor skills. The below image shows technology usage of children of different ages.
These statistics really put into perspective how prominent technology is in our children’s lives and actually how early they are potentially developing bad posture habits. In our ‘Stretches to do at your Desk’ pathway, we discuss sitting with the correct posture whilst sat at our desks, and this can be applied into the way we sit and stand in every day life.
In Summary: Bad posture is something that we develop over time. The prominence of technology in our lives is not only making our overall posture worse, but also giving us bad posture at an earlier age. This means that as time goes on, the number of people with neck and back problems will increase drastically and potentially cause major problems for up and coming generations.