Sitting Too Long Each Day May Lead to Neck Pain, Study Finds
By I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, April 29, 2025 — 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.
Sources
- The Washington Post, April 28, 2025
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted April 2025
Read this next
Recalled: More Than 67,000 Cases of Deodorant Sold at Dollar Tree, Walmart, and Amazon
TUESDAY, July 22, 2025 — More than 67,000 cases of Power Stick deodorant have been recalled due to an undisclosed manufacturing issue. The recalled deodorants, made by A.P...
Dogs Can Sniff Out Parkinson's Disease, Study Shows
TUESDAY, July 22, 2025 — Dogs’ noses are sensitive enough to track down fleeing convicts, locate human remains in hidden burial sites and detect illicit drug...
For Some, Gluten Intolerance Is Psychological, Study Says
TUESDAY, July 22, 2025 — Gluten intolerance might be all in the minds of some people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), results from a small-scale experiment...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.