Dr. H.S. Chhabra of Indian Spinal Injuries Center said, “Unlike desktops, the laptops have both the keyboard and the monitor attached to each other. You have to slouch to use it while sitting on bed. Many people keep it on the lap but even that causes lower back pain.” He also said that about 15% of the total patients visiting their center in a month are students or young professionals suffering from chronic neck or lower back pain due to poor posture. A survey conducted by Dr. Shankar Acharya, co-chairman of spinal surgery department at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital revealed that pain in the neck and lumbar region was common among people in North Delhi who were preparing for civil services. He said, “These days most of the study materials are available online. These students spend hours together reading from laptops, which causes the musculoskeletal problems. Many of them take painkillers but don’t seek professional advice. Only those with crippling pain approach us.” A recent survey carried in Finland and Britain showed that about 20% to 40% of youth are suffering from neck or back pain due to poor posture. Another study revealed that females are more affected than males. However, due to lack of survey, nobody knows the numbers of people suffering from musculoskeletal problems in India but the surely it would be extremely high. To deal with this problem, doctors are suggesting the use of laptops with detachable keyboards so that the same is placed conveniently to ease posture.
