Children and teenagers are developing hunchbacks because of the hours spent bending over texting, social media and smartphones.
Dr James Carter, a leading Australian chiropractor, said that the number of patients young and old suffering from 'text neck' is on the rise. The condition comes from spending hours at a time hunched over smartphones and electronic devices.
Text neck could lead to anxiety and depression as well as spinal damage.
While leaning forward, pressure on the neck from the weight of the head increases. The average head weighs between 10lbs and 12lbs. However, the weight on the neck can be up to 27lbs at a 15 degree angle.
The former governor of the Australian Spinal Research Foundation said, "I have started seeing lots of cases over the past two years, especially in young school children and teenagers. The condition is called 'text neck' because it is often caused when people sit with their heads dropped forward looking at their devices for several hours at a time."
"Instead of a normal forward curve, patients can be seen to have a backwards curve. It can be degenerative, often causing head, neck, shoulder and back pain. Many patients come in complaining they have a headache, but we actually find text neck is the cause of it. They often fail a simple heel-to-toe test and tend to fall over."