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The latest news on Audiobooks, eBooks and eReaders

Reading on a Tablet is Bad for your Neck

March 21, 2015 By Michael Kozlowski 6 Comments

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Serious readers have turned to tablets to read e-books due to the sheer number of apps that have been developed for Android and iOS. Whether you are downloading content from the library or have a subscription to Scribd or Osyter tablet usage is skyrocketing. Recent research has shown that not only is tablet usage causing Melatonin Suppression, but it is also proven to be bad for your neck.

A recent study of 33 university students who use tablets 50+% of their time. Users were tested in a variety of usage positions and whilst reading and typing for 2-5 minutes. Radiographs and external joint angle measurements were used to assess gravitational demand on the neck and biomechanical ergonomics of the head-neck system during tablet use. The authors hypothesised that tablet use would result in greater gravitational demand than a neutral posture, particularly when used on a lap or flat on a desk. They also speculate that demand will be different for reading vs. typing and finally that gravitational demand will be greater for female users.

Fascinatingly the authors discovered that tablet use increases mechanical demand on neck muscles by 3-5 times more than a neutral position. Using a tablet flat or on lap also had this effect as compared to propped up but whether subject was reading or typing had little effect on level of neck strain; head-neck demand is independent of hand position. A minimal increase in gravitational demand was seen in females but not enough to be significant. The authors conclude “Our findings are important for developing ergonomics guidelines for tablet computer use because they provide quantitative information about the mechanical requirements of the head–neck musculature, which are directly linked to mechanisms of pain-related problems, under several tablet computer usage conditions.” They urge more research to include further variables such as extent and frequency of use and posture, all of which could be significant in inducing neck pain after tablet use.

Michael Kozlowski

Michael Kozlowski is the Editor in Chief of Good e-Reader. He has been writing about audiobooks and e-readers for the past ten years. His articles have been picked up by major and local news sources and websites such as the CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and Verge.

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Filed Under: E-Book News, e-Reader News, Kindle News, Tablet PC News



  • Jmirko

    I am not going to read the full study, but judging from this summary the study neglects to mention that reading paper books has exactly the same negative effects. In fact, reading paper books puts much more strain on the body – for example, since the font size of paper books is not adjustable, the reader may need to hold the book closer or farther from the eyes than what would be ergonomically optimal. Also, one often needs to strain the hand muscles in order to keep the book open with one hand.
    I am getting annoyed with these studies that seem to have been funded by traditional publishing. Like the one that said “ebooks are bad for your eyes”, without differentiating between e-ink and backlit LCD.
    I am looking forward to much more useful and important studies, acknowledging the fact that most of us spend much more time working in front of LCD monitors than reading, proving that working with current monitor technology damages our eyes, and eventually causing governments to legislatively reduce our working hours to 4 hours per day – or invest in better technology.

  • Ergo Nomic

    I spend a lot of time in front of my notebook and kindle readers. I have certainly noticed the problem of neck aches from using tablets and also notebooks. I had to make special supports for my kindle so I could read with less strain. I prefer to read while looking mostly forward instead of downward.

    My notebook also causes neck aches because the screen is so much lower than my eyes. I would like the screen to be about 6-8″ higher off the table. My desktop computer has the monitor elevated about a foot above the keyboard so that is the most comfortable and better for my posture.

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