Slips, Trips, Falls, And Now, Forward Head Posture

If you are reading this on your phone, stop it.

Forward head posture, dubbed “FHP,” is fast becoming a common injury in the workplace and beyond because of people’s tendency to spend hours and hours looking down at their mobile devices, causing a looking-down posture that puts a strain on the vertebrae of the spine and neck, Safety Unlimited New Service reported Thursday.

More than just slouching at one’s desk, the ergonomics of a forward head posture or “poking chin” involves increased “extension of upper and lower cervical vertebrae and the upper thoracic regions” and is exacerbating workplace injuries, according to the article.