Mobile Phones Causing Horns To Grow On Young Adult’s Skull: Is This Is A Bizarre Tech Disorder?

We can’t thank technology enough for how much it has made our life simpler and comfortable. But this comfort comes at a price whose consequences have left everyone baffled.

According to a bizarre finding by researchers at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, have found evidence of people growing horn-like spikes at the back of their skulls due to the extreme use of a smartphone.

This just goes on to show how technology is not just transforming our behavior but as well as the bodies which we inhabit.

What Are Bone Spurs & How Do They Form

They are small bony growths that can form on the edges of the bones, usually occurs when inflammation damages the cartilage that protects joints. Here the body tries to repair the damage by growing more bone.

They usually form because of the repetitive moments and one such repetitive motion that everyone is guilty of is tilting the head forward to get a better view of the screen.

This shifts the weight of the head from the spinal cord and puts a stress on the muscles in the back on the head which leads to bones growing in the tendons and ligaments and hence the horn-like spike bulging out at the base of the skull.

Bone Spurs More Prevalent In Young Adults

The researchers studied 1,200 X-rays of people of varying age range and found evidence of the bony growth in around 400 adults, ages 18 to 86.

It was observed that larger spurts were more prevalent in younger people, with the frequency decreasing with age.

The bones spur identified ranged in size from 10 to 31 millimeters and some were so big that a lump could be felt at the back of their head.

How to Minimize The Possibility

This isn’t the first time that technology has caused problems to the health, cases such as “text neck”, “texting thumb”, “Dowager’s hump” can be traced back to the early 2000s.

Most of the bone spurs do not cause any pain and don’t require any treatment, but they can become a problem if the lump becomes too big.

The most common problem being the neck, shoulder and lower back pain because of regular hunching.

Run your hands on the lower part of your skull to find out if it’s starting to grow. If it is showing signs then you should contact a physical therapist who can teach you a few exercises to strengthen the muscles that help your posture.

Small habits such as holding your phone and tablets away from the laps and bit higher up can help promote better posture.