It was posted few days ago in the International Business Times that a large number of youngsters suffer from neck and back pain due to sedentary lifestyle. The research conducted by the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) revealed that, more than half of the young adult populations in the UK aged between 16 and 24 years old, live with neck and back pain. The statistics today have in fact doubled since 2014, which only around 28% of the youth suffered with back pain. 

This striking inclination in both the frequency and severity of musculoskeletal diseases in younger population is largely due to their current lifestyles and habits. It was researched that on an average, a person ends up spending 1.8 hours using their tablets and phones, 1.4 hours gaming and 3.7 hours using their laptop or computer. That's almost 7 hours a day, that young people spend time in fixed, ergonomically compromised postures!

iPosture

The use of smartphones and tablets have produced an array of new health conditions with debilitating effects, namely the iPosture.

iPosture or also known as text neck, is a term to describe the position we take when using our electronic devices, which can often lead to headaches, back pain, and aching shoulders. A recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that 8 to 18 year olds are spending at least 7 and a half hours each day on their entertainment media. That's a long time to be in a fixed, ergonomically compromised position. This is a big problem especially because they are growing adults -- their bones, joints and muscles are not fully matured, and thus amplifying the pressure and strain on their joints. The more stress and strain you put in the joints and muscles now, can lead to accelerated degeneration and disease later. Orthopedic specialist Nancy Craven from UConn Health states that, it is very likely that young adults with poor posture habits (due to regular use of electronic devices) are likely to suffer chronic neck and upper back pain, headaches, and even arthritis. She furthermore pointed out that, degenerative arthritis forms because the alignment is not correct. With these kids' spinal alignment being off at such a young age, arthritis will set in earlier, with could lead to the need for medications, or surgery. 

Chiropractic

The positive effects of chiropractic care in alleviating low back pain has been widely acknowledged for a long time. A recent article from the medical journal Spine, further consolidates this as it concludes: 

As mentioned before, degenerative arthritis and accelerated degeneration of the spine and other joints occur due to misalignments in the joints and/or the spine. Chiropractic care is a form of holistic health care, where the primary focus is actually not to provide pain-relief (although we are amazing at it), but it is to realign the spine and remove any nerve pressure within the spine. What's more impressing is that, chiropractic corrects these problems in a natural way. Below is an example of a before and after x-rays showing spinal correction after corrective chiropractic care (see more results here). 

More and more young adults are complaining of postural pain. A study done in the UK involving 3,000 individuals revealed that young adults are having more days off of work than their parent's generation due to low back pain. Chiropractic is safe for all ages, and produces results more than just pain relief. Seeing a chiropractor and getting adjusted should be a part of healthy lifestyle choices in all families.