REVEALED: How your texting obsession is causing organ and heart damage

A top doctor has warned about the damage our phones are doing to our health, with hunched backs causing everything from incontinence to shortness of breath.

Dr. Kuo-Pin Wu, a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine, says that smartphones and screens have become part of our daily lives, but “constantly looking down at them can change the curve of our spine.”

He warns that more and more people are developing kyphosis, also called round back or hunchback, an increasingly common condition that affects more than 3 million Americans every year.

On an X-ray, the natural curve in the upper back is considered to be between 20 and 45 degrees, but a curve greater than 50 degrees is generally classified as kyphosis.

And dr. Wu says the most common cause of this is “habitual forward head and neck posture, such as frequently looking at screens while working.”

Besides looking unsightly, Dr. Wu says a hunchback can cause a range of health problems, including poor posture, chronic pain, balance problems and even loss of the ability to walk.

Although scrolling for hours or sending hundreds of text messages a day is a major contributor to getting a humpback, the condition can also be caused by ‘using a pillow that is too high, weak lower back muscles, or compression fractures of the spine in the lumbar or thoracic region’.

To avoid the myriad complications associated with a hunchback, Dr. Wu recommends stretching the arms above the head daily and sleeping with a pillow under the knees to relieve pressure on the lower back and “provide a more natural alignment to promote’.

The Cleveland Clinic says that severe kyphosis ppain or stiffness in the back and shoulder blades, a tingling sensation in your legs, balance problems and shortness of breath when your chest is compressed.

It can also cause incontinence.

This is because bending forward can compress the spinal cord or nerves in the spine, disrupting communication between the brain and the muscles responsible for bladder control.

Dr. Wu says one study found that people with severe hunchback posture were “subject to increased strain on their trunk muscles and spine, which can accelerate spinal degeneration.”

Spinal degeneration, which typically occurs in adults over 40 years of age, occurs when the cartilage and intervertebral discs of the spine wear out and lose their supportive function.

In the most severe cases, degenerative disc disease can lead to a collapse phase, which can mean you are bedridden or wheelchair-bound.

Moving to your internal organs, Dr. Wu says a curved spine can negatively impact your ccardiovascular and respiratory function.

He explains: ‘The hunchback posture can cause the ribs to compress inward, reducing lung capacity and possibly affecting heart and lung function.

‘Symptoms may include palpitations, chest tightness and frequent shortness of breath.’

The Framingham Study – the nation’s longest-running large-scale analysis of cardiovascular disease – found that severe hunchback posture was linked to rapid decline in lung function, especially in older women.

Finally, Dr. Wu says that a hunchbacked posture can negatively impact your stomach function.

Kyphosis, also called round back or hunchback, affects more than 3 million people per year in the US

Because your internal organs are compressed by a curvature, it can lead to bloating and indigestion.

He cites a Japanese study that found that 52 percent of adult patients undergoing surgery for spinal deformities experienced frequent symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

This is a digestive disorder that occurs when stomach acid flows back into the food pipe.

To help correct a hunchback, Dr. Wu suggests several exercises, including using your equipment less often and stretching the upper arms daily.

He instructs, “Extend your arms forward and lift them above your head. Start with your palms facing each other, then turn them outward as your arms rise. Tilt your head slightly upwards.

‘As your arms rise, step forward with your right foot and lift your left heel so that only your toes touch the ground.

‘Return to a neutral standing position, then step forward with your left foot and repeat the movement.

‘Continue switching sides and repeating the exercise 10 times.’

This exercise, says Dr. Wu, helps stretch the muscles and joints in your back, support lymphatic circulation under your arms, and increase oxygen intake.

He recommends performing it “several times a day, whenever you have time.”