Mobile phones changing the human skeleton
People spend so much time looking down at smartphones and tablets they are growing bony 'spikes' on the backs of their heads, scientists say.
Researchers said growing numbers of people have growths called enlarged external occipital protuberances at the base of their skull. Considered rare when they were first discussed in the 1800s, we may now be able to feel the bony lumps with our fingers or see them on bald people.
Younger people are developing them faster, with research showing the bumps are most common among 18 to 30-yearolds. Scientists at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, conducted research into the phenomenon. They scanned more than a thousand skulls belonging to people ranging in age from 18-86.
Lead researcher, Dr David Shahar, opines the reason for the bony spike becoming more common is the amount of time people spend looking down. Hours spent scrolling on smartphones, tablets and laptops could be putting strain on lesser used parts of the body, that the body parts actually change.
Specifically, the muscles which connect the neck to the back of the head are overused as they try to hold still the skull – an average adult head can weigh around 5kg. In response to those muscles getting bigger and stronger, Dr Shahar suggests, the skeleton grows new layers of bone to reinforce and widen the area.
Dr Shahar and colleagues wrote in their study that ' repetitive and sustained mechanical load' leads to adaptation of the tendons and connective tissues. ' Musculoskeletal disorders related to poor posture while using computers and tablets were identified as a risk factor for the development of related symptoms at the neck, shoulders and forearms.'