We all know about “text neck” or “texting thumb”… and the fact that technology has changed just about every aspect of how we live, but now researchers are suggesting cell phone use could be linked to deep-bone changes in our body.
Two Australian researchers made the bizarre discovery while examining hundreds of X-rays of skulls, finding that about a third had bone growths.
Although the researchers warned of the phenomena 2 years ago, Dr. David Shahar and Mark Sayers at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia, have been getting a lot of attention after a
BBC article
was published last week.
The growth is at the base of our skull, near the neck, and is causing a “horn-like” born spur.
New research in biomechanics suggests that young people are developing hornlike spikes at the back of their skulls — bone spurs caused by the forward tilt of the head, which shifts weight from the spine to the muscles at the back of the head, causing bone growth in the connecting tendons and ligaments. The weight transfer that causes the buildup can be compared to the way the skin thickens into a callus as a response to pressure or abrasion. (
Washington Post
)
(Example radiographs of two male participants (28-years-old and 58-years-old) presenting with large enthesophytes emanating from the occipital squama.
These images also include the enthesophyte measurements used throughout this study.)
Most bone spurs don’t cause pain and require no treatment, but they can become a problem if they reach a certain size.
The unusual formations have captured the attention of Australian media, and have variously been dubbed “head horns” or “phone bones” or “spikes” or “weird bumps.”
This study should make you sit up a little bit straighter…
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