US researchers at Temple University in Philadelphia have found a connection between texting and neck pain.

Website LiveScience reports that the repetitive action of the fingers moving across the keypad of a mobile phone can result in the same repetitive strain injuries as individuals who have spent a lifetime as typists.

Lead researcher Judith Gold says the findings of the study raises questions regarding the number of hours teenagers and young people spend sending text messages. Ms Gold said the study of texting and its possible effects on health was a relatively new area of research for scientists studying ergonomics.

‘The way the body is positioned for texting – stationary shoulders and back with rapidly moving fingers – is similar to the position for typing on a computer,’ said Ms Gold.

Typists traditionally suffer from health problems that include tunnel syndrome, bursitis and tendonitis – and the study found that texting involves a similarity of body position that may make the effects comparable with those found in studies into ‘overuse injuries’ from computers.

Previous studies have found that individuals who text for long periods of time using their thumb may suffer pain in their elbow – sometimes referred to by doctors as ‘Blackberry thumb’ or ‘texting tendonitis’, said Ms Gold.

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