Adolescent neck and back pain is become prevalent in society as children and teenagers have become sedentary. They are playing staying in playing video games, using social media like Facebook, or communicating with friends on smartphones. A study by the British Chiropractic Association is suggesting that nearly 2/3 of the population under 35 years of age have suffered with neck or back pain and almost 1/3 have constant pain lasting more than a month.
The British Chiropractic Association believes the increase in adolescent neck and back pain is due to a more sedentary lifestyle. The paper goes
on to explain not only technology is a cause, but around 40% spend a lot of time sitting at work and 32% said they experienced back pain from sitting. 68% said their adolescent back and neck pain affected their sleep and prevented them from exercising. Another 22% said pain impacted social activities.
This study along with the fact that children are carrying heavy backpacks, sitting in poorly supporting chairs for years on end in school, some playing competitive sports risking injury, are leading to more adolescent neck and back pain. The accumulative affect of all these factors leads to more incidences of pain.
Yet even with more young people experiencing neck pain or back pain, around 40% have not had their spines checked. Pain is an early signal that something is wrong. Just like a dashboard on a car tells you something is wrong. The last thing you would do is ignore
your cars signs as you know the longer you wait to get it fixed it will get worse and cost more money. Getting checked as soon as possibly by a chiropractor not only relieves the adolescent neck and back pain naturally but prevents the condition from becoming chronic later in life.
My name is Dr. Russell Brokstein, Freehold Chiropractor and owner of Hometown Family Wellness Center. I have been helping children and young adults for the past 15 years in practice. Checking young people’s posture, getting chiropractic adjustments, doing therapeutic stretching and advising on home exercise are the best ways to correct the cause of adolescent neck and back pain and prevent future problems.