R Txts Kllng Ur Back?

• Position: HEALTH - Smartphone - Brief article

Smartphones weigh just a few ounces. But, it turns out, they can add pounds of pressure to your spine. A recent study showed that tilting your head (which weighs 10 to 12 pounds) to text or tweet can add up to 60 pounds of weight to your spine (see graphic); that's like putting four adult-size bowling balls on your head! Over the years, the extra pressure can do some real damage to your back, possibly leading to surgery. Kenneth Hansraj, the back surgeon in New York who led the study using computer simulations of the spine, realizes that his discovery isn't likely to get us to toss...