The number of people suffering a condition called forward head posture has been steadily rising over the last few years.<br />Experts say one of the factors contributing to the trend is the excessive use of smartphones and computers.<br /> Cho Sung-min reports. <br /> According to the National Health Insurance Service, as of 2016, there were around 2-point-7 million people in Korea diagnosed with forward head posture.<br />The agency gathered data for five years starting in 2011... and found an annual rise of 2-point-4 percent... meaning a total of 300-thousand new cases.<br /><br /> Forward head posture, to be specific, is when the vertebrae in the neck slant forward so much that the ears are in front of the shoulder blades.<br />It's also called "scholar's neck," and "reader's neck."<br />And as you might expect, common symptoms include headaches, and pain in multiple parts of the torso, shoulder blades and neck.<br /><br /> Health experts blame the excessive use of mobile devices and computers, long hours at the desk and underdeveloped back muscles as some of the main factors.<br />Data show that the people most affected by scholar's neck were in their fifties, accounting for more than 23-percent of the total,... followed by those in their forties, thirties, and seniors over sixty.<br /> Significantly, the number of younger patients in their twenties and thirties has surged<br />That could be because they spend more time on their smartphones than any other age group.<br /><br /> Experts warn that posture problems at a young age can lead to more serious neck and spinal problems down the road,... and they recommend not hunching over a smartphone or computer screen for longer than an hour at a time.<br />Cho Sung-min, Arirang news. <br />
