There has been an increasing number of young people approaching doctors for help with back and neck pain, but why so at such a young age ? Chronic back and neck pain is something that plagues older folks above the ages of 40 but has recently increased for the younger and much more tech savvy generation.
The British chiropractic association said that their seeing an increasing amount of under 30’s seeking medical help with back and neck pain, due to them spending up to 10 hours a day sitting down behind screens. The number of young patients has risen from 28 percent to 45 percent within just a year. One quarter of these say that they suffer from chronic pain on a daily basis.
Tim Hutchful who is a BCA chiropractor says that the modern lifestyle that the younger generation is confined to is causing these increase in back and neck pain cases. He states that many people are completely unaware that staying in the same position can cause unnecessary strain on the back.
It’s true that staying in the same position for a long period, sitting on hard and still surfaces like couches and chairs causes a build up of tension in your lower back. Not taking regular breaks to stretch and relieve that stress can be harmful to the discs on the spine. In reality the human back is hard at work even when we’re relaxing.
Some easy tips to overcome the neck and back pain for those who spend a lot of time in front of screens and at their desks is to first sit up straight, take a desk break every 30 minutes where you do some stretches and finally staying hydrated.
You should also ensure that if you’re in front of a screen, that it is at eye level with your eyebrows and that your chair is slightly forward so that the knees are slightly higher than the hips. These rather simple tips will ensure that you maintain a healthy posture and steer away from neck and back pain.