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IronLionZion

(45,427 posts)
Thu Jun 20, 2019, 09:56 AM Jun 2019

Horns are growing on young people's skulls. Phone use is to blame, research suggests.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/06/20/horns-are-growing-young-peoples-skulls-phone-use-is-blame-research-suggests/?utm_term=.7e9767e0766c



Mobile technology has transformed the way we live — how we read, work, communicate, shop and date.

But we already know this.

What we have not yet grasped is the way the tiny machines in front of us are remolding our skeletons, possibly altering not just the behaviors we exhibit but the bodies we inhabit.

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.

The result is a hook or hornlike feature jutting out from the skull, just above the neck.

In academic papers, a pair of researchers at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, argues that the prevalence of the bone growth in younger adults points to shifting body posture brought about by the use of modern technology. They say smartphones and other handheld devices are contorting the human form, requiring users to bend their heads forward to make sense of what’s happening on the miniature screens.


People were worried about cancer when the real problem is bone spurs!
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Horns are growing on young people's skulls. Phone use is to blame, research suggests. (Original Post) IronLionZion Jun 2019 OP
I've seen this before and not b/c of phones mitch96 Jun 2019 #1
Journalism quality has been disappointing lately IronLionZion Jun 2019 #2
I have one and I'm 61 years old Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Jun 2019 #4
Thank you for bringing rationality into the discussion. Maru Kitteh Jun 2019 #8
Well... FiveGoodMen Jun 2019 #3
Good points IronLionZion Jun 2019 #5
I wandered over here just after reading that link FiveGoodMen Jun 2019 #6
This has been happening for a while now. Poiuyt Jun 2019 #7

mitch96

(13,891 posts)
1. I've seen this before and not b/c of phones
Thu Jun 20, 2019, 11:39 AM
Jun 2019

In Radiology you see lots of "anatomical" variants. The "horn" in question is the external occipital protuberance. In layman's terms its the bump on the back of the occipital bone. It's where the nuchal ligament attaches the muscle that lets you look up. Everybody's got one and you can feel it. In this case it's just calcified, no big woop. I've seen many.
Looks like some news person needed a story.. uffda
m

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