The issue of neck pain is becoming more common among younger people. At the Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine's night massage clinic, most of the patients receiving treatment are young people. Du Honggen, Director of the Massage Department at the hospital, stated that the most significant change in the past decade is the explosive increase in young patients with neck pain. He mentioned that they treat approximately 120 patients in one night, with 70 to 80% being young people. Among them, there was even a woman born in the 1990s whose severe cervical spondylosis led to numbness in all four limbs, causing her to not feel even when scalded with boiling water.
It is reported that the female patient spends almost her entire working time looking down, and during her free time, she frequently uses her phone, severely lacking relaxation and exercise. She suddenly found that her limbs lost sensation, unable to feel even when scalded with boiling water, walking felt like stepping on a sponge, and she couldn't even hold chopsticks. Her cervical condition was extremely severe, necessitating immediate surgical treatment.
Du Honggen explained that if you think of your cervical spine as a spring, when a person looks down at their phone or does other work, this spring endures far more force than the weight of the head itself. Research has found that for a 5-kilogram head, when standing or sitting straight, the spring only supports the downward pressure of the head, equating to the cervical spine bearing 5 kilograms of weight, akin to balancing a watermelon on the head.
When a person slightly lowers their head by 15 degrees, the cervical spine bears 12 kilograms of force, similar to carrying the weight of a kindergarten child on the head. When people are bent over looking at their phones playing games and watching videos, the head angle may reach 60 degrees, and the cervical spine bears 27 kilograms of force, equivalent to having a 25-kilogram bag of rice hanging on the neck. Over time, this can lead to 'disc herniation.'
Leaning against the bed or sofa to play phone or read causes significant harm
Furthermore, Qian Yu, Deputy Director of Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine and an expert in spinal diseases, points out that leaning against the headboard or sofa to play on your phone results in using the neck as a pivot point against the headboard or sofa. This keeps the cervical spine in a forward bent posture, meaning the neck maintains a reverse curve position. Maintaining this posture for long periods will lead to the cervical spine severely deviating from its normal physiological curvature, eventually causing cervical spondylosis.
How can you protect your cervical spine? Qian Yu states that the most important action is to avoid prolonged periods viewing electronic devices. If you must use them, maintain correct sitting posture, ensuring screen height is at eye level. In daily life, avoid prolonged sitting without movement and ensure regular cervical exercises and maintenance.