Chiropractic Boom: I-Phone Syndrome on the increase

Bad Posture, back/neck pain resulting from Smart Phone addiction

China Daily

They all have the same tell-tale stance: head-down, shoulders hunched in a curve, as their thumb and fingers taps away at the phone.


It may seem harmless enough and a part of modern everyday life, but adopt this stance too often and for too long and the smartphone will literally become a pain in the neck, as well shoulders, elbows, wrists and thumbs.


Ng, the chairwoman of public relations committee of the Hong Kong Chiropractors' Association, said in the long-term this bad posture associated with smartphone use puts strain on muscles which in turn leads to reoccurring episodes of pain.


Left untreated or unchecked, the overuse of these muscles and tendons will lead to degenerative conditions, arthritis and even irreversible damage to tendons and nerves.


"These are degenerative conditions previously associated with people in their 40s and 50s but we are now seeing an increasing number of cases among people in their 30s and even younger. We are calling it 'iPhone syndrome,'" she said.


"Lifestyles have changed. There are kids now who are being given iPhones by their parents so by the time they reach their 30s they will have been using them 20 years already. I have even heard of kids developing 'iPhone syndrome' when they are 15 and 16," she said,