By Ed Rabinowitz
Imagine walking along the street, smart phone in hand, head bent forward as you read off an assortment of text messages and decide which needs your immediate response. That’s probably not too difficult to imagine, since you and millions of individuals like you engage in that activity every day, whether it’s with a smart phone, iPad, or other mobile device. But do you know what you’re doing to your neck and spine in the process? According to a recent study by Kenneth Hansraj, MD, chief of spine surgery at New York Spine Surgery & Rehabilitation Medicine, the weight on the spine dramatically increases when flexing the head forward at varying degrees. “That’s like walking around with an 8-year old on your shoulders for a couple of hours a day,” Hansraj says.
Hansraj opted for a career in medicine because ever since he was a young boy his father wanted him to become a surgeon. “I loved my dad a lot,” Hansraj recalls. “I didn’t think it would be possible, but I tried.” And he succeeded. He chose orthopedic surgery over other fields of medicine because of the developmental work still being done. “Spine is complicated,” he explains. “It takes many years to develop some mastery. And I love the fact that it’s intricate. It’s complicated.”
