TUESDAY, April 29, 2025 (HealthDay News) — If you spend hours a day glued to your phone or seated at a desk, you're setting yourself up for serious neck pain, a recent study warns.

Researchers in China looked at data from 25 studies involving more than 43,000 people across 13 countries. 

The upshot: Longer periods of sedentary behavior — like sitting and using electronic devices — were tied to higher odds of developing neck pain, The Washington Post reported.

Mobile phone use was the riskiest screen-related habit. People who spent a lot of time on their phones had 82% higher risk of neck pain than those who did not, researchers found. 

Using a computer raised the risk by 23%, but watching TV did not significantly increase the risk.

The longer people sat, the greater their risk. 

Sitting for four hours a day increased the risk of neck pain by 45%, and sitting for more than six hours a day raised it by nearly 88%, compared to people who weren't sedentary.

Researchers suspect that sedentary behavior dovetails with not only with a rise in electronic device use, but also lifestyle changes brought about by the pandemic,The Post said. 

Many people tend to bend their necks and slouch their shoulders while using phones, tablets and computers, putting extra strain on the neck and upper back.

“This condition can precipitate various musculoskeletal issues, especially in the neck region,” a team led by Yunchen Meng of China University of Mining and Technology-Beijing wrote in the journal BMC Public Health.

More information

The Mayo Clinic has more on sitting risks.

SOURCE: The Washington Post, April 28, 2025