Modern people who are obsessed with smartphones should be careful of this disease
Mar 31, 2025
For modern people, we cannot imagine a daily life without a smartphone.
According to Gallup Korea's survey of 18-year-old adults last year, the usage rate exceeded 90% for the first time in 2016 and rose to 98% in 2024, from the low 90% range until 2020. In particular, as of 2024, the usage rate of those under 60 reached nearly 100%, and it was confirmed that more than 90% of people in their 70s and older use it, so smartphones are becoming a necessity for life for all agesIt is no exaggeration to say. However, as the use of smartphones increases and dependence increases, neck health such as turtle neck, straight neck syndrome, and neck disc is on alert.
◇ Weight on mature neck, 5 times head weight
People who are into smartphones are often seen on the streets, on the subway, and on the bus. This is because smartphones that can get both information and fun in your hands are necessary not only for SNS, games, shopping, but also for business communication.
However, maintaining a bent posture with your head down for a long time inevitably has an adverse effect on neck and spinal health. When the head is lowered, the contraction force of the neck muscles that hold it so that the head does not fall off works together, and the weight on the neck is five times the weight of the head. If the adult standard head weight is 5kg, the weight on the neck is as much as 25kg.
Lee Keun-ho (Orthopedic Surgeon), director of Barunseang Hospital's Spine Center, said "If looking at a smartphone or tablet in a bent position for a long time becomes a habit, it can cause neck pain. If the wrong posture persists, the neck bone (cervical neck) that should be C-shaped is transformed into a straight neck or turtle neck, causing pain, and if the normal C-curve continues to be lost, the disk can protrude and develop into a neck disk that compresses nerves. "In the early stages of symptoms, you feel stiff or tired, but as time goes by, your shoulders and arms hurt, and in severe cases, it can lead to numbness in your hands or arms."
◇How to use a smartphone to prevent neck disc
In order to prevent neck disc, correct posture is more important than anything else. It is better to correct your posture so that your ears and shoulder lines match so that you do not strain your neck bones, and relax your muscles, joints, and ligaments through stretching. When using a smartphone, it is recommended to raise the liquid crystal to the eye level, and keeping the distance between the screen and the eyes more than 30cm can reduce neck and shoulder pain as well as eye fatigue. It is also important to correct your sleeping posture. In particular, for neck pain patients, the most important thing when sleeping is the height and curve of the pillow supporting the cervical spine, and it is recommended to choose a pillow that can maintain the C-curve of the cervical spine due to the slightly higher back neck and low center of the head.
In particular, the muscles of the back and shoulders play an important role in supporting the neck, so strengthening the back and shoulder muscles is effective for neck health. If you feel abnormal signs such as stiffness and discomfort in your neck or frequent headaches, it is recommended to correct your posture in your life.
Director Lee Keun-ho said, `If the symptoms of the neck disc are mild, non-surgical treatment such as posture correction, drug treatment, and injection treatment can be improved. However, surgical treatment should be considered if the symptoms do not improve even with non-surgical treatment for more than six weeks or if the condition worsens after delaying treatment. Therefore, if you feel uncomfortable with neck movement or if the pain persists, it is recommended to visit the hospital as soon as possible.
According to Gallup Korea's survey of 18-year-old adults last year, the usage rate exceeded 90% for the first time in 2016 and rose to 98% in 2024, from the low 90% range until 2020. In particular, as of 2024, the usage rate of those under 60 reached nearly 100%, and it was confirmed that more than 90% of people in their 70s and older use it, so smartphones are becoming a necessity for life for all agesIt is no exaggeration to say. However, as the use of smartphones increases and dependence increases, neck health such as turtle neck, straight neck syndrome, and neck disc is on alert.
◇ Weight on mature neck, 5 times head weight
People who are into smartphones are often seen on the streets, on the subway, and on the bus. This is because smartphones that can get both information and fun in your hands are necessary not only for SNS, games, shopping, but also for business communication.
However, maintaining a bent posture with your head down for a long time inevitably has an adverse effect on neck and spinal health. When the head is lowered, the contraction force of the neck muscles that hold it so that the head does not fall off works together, and the weight on the neck is five times the weight of the head. If the adult standard head weight is 5kg, the weight on the neck is as much as 25kg.
Lee Keun-ho (Orthopedic Surgeon), director of Barunseang Hospital's Spine Center, said "If looking at a smartphone or tablet in a bent position for a long time becomes a habit, it can cause neck pain. If the wrong posture persists, the neck bone (cervical neck) that should be C-shaped is transformed into a straight neck or turtle neck, causing pain, and if the normal C-curve continues to be lost, the disk can protrude and develop into a neck disk that compresses nerves. "In the early stages of symptoms, you feel stiff or tired, but as time goes by, your shoulders and arms hurt, and in severe cases, it can lead to numbness in your hands or arms."
◇How to use a smartphone to prevent neck disc
In order to prevent neck disc, correct posture is more important than anything else. It is better to correct your posture so that your ears and shoulder lines match so that you do not strain your neck bones, and relax your muscles, joints, and ligaments through stretching. When using a smartphone, it is recommended to raise the liquid crystal to the eye level, and keeping the distance between the screen and the eyes more than 30cm can reduce neck and shoulder pain as well as eye fatigue. It is also important to correct your sleeping posture. In particular, for neck pain patients, the most important thing when sleeping is the height and curve of the pillow supporting the cervical spine, and it is recommended to choose a pillow that can maintain the C-curve of the cervical spine due to the slightly higher back neck and low center of the head.
In particular, the muscles of the back and shoulders play an important role in supporting the neck, so strengthening the back and shoulder muscles is effective for neck health. If you feel abnormal signs such as stiffness and discomfort in your neck or frequent headaches, it is recommended to correct your posture in your life.
Director Lee Keun-ho said, `If the symptoms of the neck disc are mild, non-surgical treatment such as posture correction, drug treatment, and injection treatment can be improved. However, surgical treatment should be considered if the symptoms do not improve even with non-surgical treatment for more than six weeks or if the condition worsens after delaying treatment. Therefore, if you feel uncomfortable with neck movement or if the pain persists, it is recommended to visit the hospital as soon as possible.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
