Harmful effects of texting while walking

Many of us have walked with our eyes glued to our phones, constantly texting. If you have this habit, you should stop immediately because it is harmful to your health.

Using a smartphone while walking can have a negative impact on the user's health.

It’s not just texting that keeps people glued to their phones and distracted from the road. It could be finding a song to listen to, posting a photo or commenting on social media, according to MSN.

This is really not good for your health. In a study, scientists at the University of Delaware (USA) simulated this habit by asking a group of volunteers to walk on a treadmill while dialing phone numbers.

All the participants had unusual walking postures. Some tilted their necks and furrowed their brows. Others hunched over and walked unnaturally. These actions were all an attempt to compensate for the lack of visual focus, instead of looking at the road and looking at their phones.

This will cause “Text Neck” to appear, which is a condition of neck pain caused by phone users constantly bending their heads over their smartphones. Normally, the human head weighs about 5 kg. But when in a bowed position, the neck bones have to bear a much larger weight. Prolonged use will lead to neck pain.

In addition, texting or playing games too much on smartphones can cause your fingers to cramp and become painful. This phenomenon is also called by health experts with a new term: “Text Claw”.

Focusing too much on your phone even while walking can cause dry eyes and headaches. Pain can also appear in your wrists and arms from holding your phone for too long, especially while walking.

According to TNO