3 Hidden Causes of Joint Pain

3 Hidden Reasons Your Joints Are Sore

No matter where you go these days, you’re sure to run into someone hunched over their cell phone, thumbs deftly typing out a text message. Americans now send millions of text messages every day.

If you guessed complaints of sore hands and thumbs are on the rise, you’re right. But all that texting is giving rise to another joint problem altogether.

It’s called “text neck.” And here’s why it’s one of the fastest-growing joint problems health professionals are dealing with.

Imagine lifting a 10-pound weight and holding it at arm’s length. After doing this for an hour or two, your whole arm would throb. Your arm joints and muscles simply aren’t designed to support weight that way for any length of time.

When you text, you’re doing much the same thing.

Your head weights about 10 – 12 pounds. When you lean your head forward – as most people do when they text – you put a strain on the joints and muscles in your neck, because leaning forward isn’t their natural position. The more you text, the greater the stress on your neck.

The simplest way to avoid this problem is to text less… and hold your phone higher when you do text. And with all those minutes on your cell phone plan, wouldn’t you really rather hear your friends’ voices anyway?

Another electronic device joins the cell phone as our second cause of hidden joint pain. This time, it’s your laptop computer.

Netbooks, ultra-thin laptops and wireless connections have created an explosion in laptop sales. And in sore, aching backs.

Visit any busy airport, and you’ll see hundreds of people hunched over laptop computers. Compared to this kind of laptop use, texting is positively healthy.

Britain’s Daily Mail reports that girls as young as 12 have been the victims of nerve damage caused by slouching over laptop computers.1 And millions of other people suffer from sore backs, shoulders and necks – just from using their laptops.

According to the Mail report, hundreds of x-rays reveal permanent back damage – and even “dowager’s humps” in teens – caused by laptop use.

To avoid joint pain from using your laptop, use a docking station and a stand for your laptop at home. On the road, try to keep the screen at about eye level whenever possible. A portable wireless keyboard will allow you to type in a comfortable position.

Carrying a heavy laptop bag on your shoulder for hours on end can cause sore shoulders. Carrying another common item can, too.

Women’s handbags are getting larger and larger. Today’s working woman has a lot more to carry than her grandmother did. And bags have grown to fit everything she needs. In fact, British researchers found that the average handbag today weighs about 7 pounds.2

Carrying a bag that heavy on your shoulder can also carry a heavy price.

For one thing, you normally swing your arms when you walk. Carrying a heavy bag forces you to use one arm to anchor the bag. This throws off your gait, which can eventually damage your knees and hips.

To keep the bag from slipping, you’ll probably raise the shoulder supporting the bag. This throws off your posture even further, putting a strain on back muscles. The unnatural posture can also lead to joint and nerve damage in your back.

And, men, don’t think you’re being left out. Those messenger bags that are so popular? Slung over one shoulder, they’re just as bad as purses.

Backpacks have their own set of problems, but you can safely carry more weight in a backpack than a purse. For daily use, consider swapping out your tote-sized purse or messenger bag for a backpack… and wear it over both shoulders.

If you must carry a bag on one shoulder, keep it as light as possible. And switch off shoulders at regular intervals. There’s no point in damaging your joints in the name of fashion.

Yours in continued good health,
Dr Kenneth Woliner, M.D.

1 “Laptops are crippling millions with back problems,” Daily Mail. May 30, 2007.
2 Topham, L., “Is your handbag going to give you arthritis? Not to mention slipped discs and bad knees!” Daily Mail. March 8, 2011