Do smartphone users grow horns?

Doctors in Australia have analyzed over 1,200 X-ray images of young people between the ages of 18 and 30 and found a kind of “horn” on the occipital bone (os occipitale) – a bony protrusion measuring around 30 mm. The scientists attributed the bony anomaly to intensive smartphone and tablet use. Could this be the case?

The doctors were unable to provide any scientific evidence. The methodology used to interpret the X-ray findings has also been criticized by other experts.

But legitimate questions remain about the origin of the bony growths on the x-rays and about the theoretical possibility of some kind of horn formation.

The fact is that the bones in our body are far less rigid than many people think. On the contrary. Bone tissue is extremely plastic, otherwise our bones would break much more frequently. Anyone can do a self-test. Press firmly on the tibia bone with your thumb for one minute. The bone is located directly under the skin. After a minute, you will feel a small indentation on the bone when you stroke it (which will soon disappear again).

The fact that bone is naturally relatively soft not only serves to protect against injury, but also allows the bone – and the entire musculoskeletal system – to adapt to changing environmental conditions. It is completely normal for bones to become firmer in certain places and for protrusions to form where muscles or tendons are attached. Examples of this can be found on the thigh bone (os femur), for example. There is a palpable bulge just below the hip joint, the greater trochanter. Many muscles from the pelvis are attached there.

A bony bulge can be felt behind the ear, the mastoid process (pars mostoidea). A muscle is attached here (sternocleidomastoid muscle) which is responsible for turning and nodding the head. The mastoid process is not yet present in infants; it only develops when the muscle becomes stronger due to the upright posture and more forces act on the skull bone. The bones are therefore particularly plastic in young people as they are often still growing.

There are also natural bony protrusions on the occipital bone mentioned above, to which various neck muscles are attached.

If these attachment points for muscles are used more than normal, then they naturally grow. For example, when the head is tilted more and the neck muscles work harder to hold the head.

Heel spurs are well-known in medicine (and unfortunately not uncommon). Due to incorrect or excessive strain on the tendons attached to the heel, the periosteum at the site stretches and becomes inflamed and calcifies over time.

Could this be the reason for the so-called “horns” that are supposed to grow on the occipital bone?

First of all, to clarify. They are definitely not “horns”. Horns, like those of bulls, are a different tissue to bone and are more closely related to hair and fingernails. In addition, there is already a bony prominence at the point shown on the x-rays: the external occipital protuberance. A small part of thetrapezius muscle is attached to this point, as is the nuchal ligament (ligamentum nuchae). It connects and stabilizes the posterior spinous processes to the vertebral bodies. Like all ligaments, this ligament is a passive structural element in our musculoskeletal system. If it is subjected to constant tensile stress, it would rather stretch or become firmer and less elastic than actively tighten like a muscle. Permanent tension on the trapezius muscle would also have an effect on other structures on the occipital bone and, above all, on the spinous processes in the cervical spine.

That’s why I think the report of horns growing on the skull is pretty far-fetched.

Nevertheless, all intensive users of smartphones and tablets should be aware of this: Form follows function. In rehabilitation sports, I have met many people with spinal deformities because they have been sitting at a desk all their lives. Structural changes to the vertebral bodies are practically irreversible. It is therefore all the more important to have a sporting balance if your posture is one-sided and to regularly visit an orthopaedist or experienced osteopath for a check-up.