Cureus - April 23, 2023; Vol. 15; No. 4; Article e38034
Eden YT Chu, Tze Kwan Sharon Mok, Gabriel Siu Nam Ng, Eric
Chun-Pu Chu
“The increasing prevalence of social media, mobile texting, video streaming, and gaming due to the widespread adoption of smartphones has led to emerging health concerns, including the overuse condition known as text neck syndrome.”
“Text neck syndrome is an overuse syndrome typically caused by repetitive stress injury of the cervical spine due to flexed and forward head position during prolonged engagement with mobile screens.”
“Text neck syndrome is a growing concern in the pediatric population due to the increased use of mobile devices and screens, potentially leading to long-lasting musculoskeletal issues.”
“Prolonged exposure to poor postural habits in children may result in long-lasting musculoskeletal issues and a higher risk of spine-related disorders later in life.”
“Over time, sustained flexed stress may cause posterior ligamentous laxity, vertebral segment instability, spondylolisthesis, and degenerative joint disease, possibly leading to plastic impairment within the nervous system and causing clinical symptoms.”
“Chiropractors are educated to recognize structural or movement abnormalities that could cause injury or discomfort if left untreated.”
Manual therapy has “demonstrated clinical benefits in correcting reversed cervical curvature.”
Case Presentation: A six-year-old boy presented with a one-month history of headache, cephalgia, and cervicalgia.
• His symptoms coincided with prolonged usage of a mobile device (more than eight hours per day), primarily for viewing videos. His daily screen time exceeded 10 hours, including gaming and video-watching activities.
• A few days after the initial manifestation of symptoms, the patient consulted a pediatrician who prescribed nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants, and a regimen of stretching and exercise. “These interventions failed to provide significant relief. Subsequently, the patient sought chiropractic care to address his condition.”
“Chiropractic manipulation was used to reestablish postural stability and correct spinal alignment by comparing pre and post-treatment radiography,” including:
• Spinal adjustments.
• Instrument-assisted soft tissue manipulation.
• The patient was treated three times a week for four weeks; his pain rating on the numeric pain scale decreased from 7/10 to 0/10.
• “Additional recommendations, such as optimizing ergonomic advice on mobile device use, reducing screen time, and incorporating core strengthening exercises, were provided to address the patient’s forward head posture and excessive kyphosis.”
• “Extension traction therapy aimed at the anterior longitudinal ligament was used, assuming that the restoration of natural cervical lordosis was primarily due to ligamentous creep (stretching).”
• For the next eight weeks, the patient was seen two times a week.
• “By the end of the third month, the patient reported a complete resolution of symptoms.”
“At the nine-month follow-up, the patient remained headache-free, and his cervical range of motion was restored bilaterally.”
“The patient reported significant improvements in pain relief, neck mobility, and neurological symptoms.”
“Educational efforts should be directed toward promoting proper smartphone usage habits and ergonomic adjustments among children to minimize the risk of developing text neck and other spinal health problems.”
“Regular exercise and core strengthening programs should be encouraged to promote healthy spines and mitigate the potential adverse effects of excessive smartphone use on pediatric spinal health.”
Dan Murphy has provided weekly reviews of pertinent articles for the chiropractic community for 25 years. Topics range from nutrition, neurology, orthopedics, biomechanics, diet, exercise, immunology, whiplash injury, radiology, clinical anatomy, chiropractic care, and more. Here is what one subscriber said: “I am very grateful for keeping me in the loop of knowledge. These article reviews are priceless.’’Interested chiropractors can sign up for this service on his website: www.DanMurphyDC.com.
