As I type, my right shoulder blade feels like a World Cup player is dribbling it. For the last three days my favorite companions have been a heating pad, an ice pack and some aspirin.
Why? Well, it’s not because I played anything fun like softball or ultimate Frisbee. I didn’t even lift anything heavy (if you don’t count the occasional weight of the world on my back). No, this ache is the result of spending too much time over a keyboard.
And I’m not the only one who’s suffering. In our computer-driven age, more and more people are spending longer amounts of screen time typing, playing video games, surfing the net or watching TV on their laptops. The inactivity and faulty posture add up to more back pain for just about everyone, including teenagers.
In fact, a recent Scandinavian study found that as many as 21% of teen boys and 26% of teen girls reported suffering from regular backaches. The percentage with headaches was higher, with as many as 31% of boys and 44% of girls saying they frequently have headaches.
Researchers consistently found that total screen time, regardless of how they used said screen, increased the likelihood of pain. The full study was published in the journal BMC Public Health, and the researchers write:
“Overall, the consistent association between screen-based activity and physical complaints might indicate that a part of the association is unrelated to the type of screen-based activity, but rather more related to the duration and ergonomic aspects of such activity.”
In other words, it would be smart for most of us to go outside, remember what sunshine looks like and toss a ball around for a while. A real ball, not a virtual orb.
Hmmm. Maybe I’ll try that now …
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