NORFOLK, Va. — Whether it is for work or pleasure, we spend a lot of time on our devices and it's impacting some people's physical health.
I first investigated this in 2019, but I wanted to follow through to see what has or has not changed in six years.
Watch related: Is there a correlation between screen time and brain development in kids?
I caught up with Angel Hall in Norfolk as she was disconnecting from devices and moving her body.
“Everything is a gadget,” she says. “[Everyone] is looking at the TV… and it's not healthy."
As she lifts weights inside a Sentara Therapy Center, she says two years ago, this movement wouldn’t have been possible.
“I couldn't move. I was in excruciating pain constantly, to the point where I couldn't lay down. I could barely walk,” she says.
Watch related: Local ophthalmologist explains potential effects of excessive screen time on kids
First, she started with physical therapy and then signed up for personal training. Now she is down 100 pounds, sweating over swiping.
“Our bodies are meant to move. They're not meant to sit for hours and hours at a time,” says Corey Scarozza, an occupational therapist and certified ergonomic assessment specialist with Sentara Health.
He says not only are our bodies not meant to be sedentary, but they’re also not meant to be looking at screens all day.
Though with most things in life, there’s positives and negatives.
“The technology is now working for us in a lot of ways. [We have] better voice recognition software [and we’re] using touch screen versus press keyboards,” he explains.
Watch related: Mental health expert talks cell phones in school after Norfolk's policy decision
Scarozza adds that it has also hurt us.
“I'll consult with patients who are having neck pain and just looking at their posture, without even taking any measurements of their workstation, I'll realize that it could be related to their posture or the way they're using their device for hours and hours at a time," he says.
According to the National Institutes of Health, excess screen time causes neck, shoulder, and back pain.
Poor posture, coupled with sitting for too long, can cause other musculoskeletal problems, like a dowager's hump or strained tendons.
“You’re so focused on that monitor or that screen that you start to get into these hunch postures or these forward postures that are causing pain,” he says.
There's also computer vision syndrome. The NIH reports that screen time causes eye strain, headaches, and blurred vision.
“Simple tasks like adjusting the height of your chair, getting up to take breaks, [or walking] to a different room. Those are the fundamentals in starting somewhere,” Scarozza says.
Watch related: Mom hacks for reducing screen time
Scarozza recommends setting a timer when you are spending time on your device and periodically checking on your posture.
“If you stand flat against the wall, you'll feel where your bottom is touching the wall. Your shoulder blades should be touching the wall, and the back of your head should be touching the wall,” he says.
If you spend most of your time looking at a computer for your job, you can adjust your workspace.
“The biggest advice would be trying to go into positions where your knees are at a 90-degree angle [and] your ankles are at a 90-degree angle. You're sitting comfortably on an adjustable chair, on a height adjustable desk,” he says. “Those are the basics, where you're supported in your back and in your spine. Choose lighting in your room that's appropriate — that's maybe on a lower frequency or level — so that you don't have a lot of glare [from the screen].”
There are also online resources that can help you design the perfect workspace for your space, height, weight, and personal preferences.
Hall recommends putting down the phone and picking up a weight.
“Technology has its pluses and its minuses. We need to use it properly, and it can be okay, but it also can be a downfall," she says. "So, we need to recognize and be balanced with the way we use technology.”
