Women may be at greater risk of neck pain because of the way they use smartphones and tablets.

Electronic devices cause women to point down their face with their chin almost on their chest, a study suggests.

Men, who tend to have longer necks because they are taller, bend them less awkwardly when they are checking emails or texting on their phone.

The findings, taken from X-rays of people using electronic tablets, could help to explain why women suffer more from neck and jaw pain than men.

Pictured, the landmark and semi-landmark placement to track neck bending in the study. A total of 35 semi-permanent landmarks were placed along the jaw and neck (blue dots) and the yellow line indicates the angle of the jaw which was assessed in the study

Researchers found men tend to bend their neck where their head meets their spine, while women look down towards their chest and stick their head out further.

Dr Claire Terhune, senior author of the study from the department of anthropology at the University of Arkansas, said: ‘Our advice to people in general would probably be to try to avoid spending hours looking down at a tablet or a mobile phone.

The British Chiropractic Association says more than one in five people in Britain have suffered back or neck pain after using a smartphone.

To see how electronic devices affect posture, the US researchers X-rayed 10 women and 12 men while they used a tablet in five different positions.

Men and women showed no difference in neck movements when staring straight ahead at the centre of a tablet in their hand.

source: wiredfocus.com