Modern technology causing back pain in children: Study

The use of modern technology could cause crippling back pain for our children in the future, reveals a research.

The research says that more than two-thirds of primary school children have reported of experiencing back or neck pain over the course of one year.

Sixty-four percent of secondary school children have suffered problems over a similar period and almost 90 percent of the children have not reported their pain to anyone.

The results appear in a questionnaire-based study drawn from interviews with primary and secondary school children and was commissioned by Abertawe (Swansea])Bro Morgannwg University (ABMU) Health board, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

It was conducted by Helena Webb, a leading paediatric physiotherapist.

The reports also suggests a growing concern among the medical community about the effects of computers, games consoles, smart-phones and iPad-style tablets on young people's bodies.

In the study 204 children from the age of 7 years to 18 years were questioned in an in-depth survey about their back care. The research was carried out after the ABMU reported that the number of children receiving treatment for back and neck pain has doubled over six months.

"Modern lifestyles and the increase in technology are having detrimental effects on our children's musculoskeletal health and if not addressed in school and at home now, will have far reaching effects for our children, the future working generation and society. This is a healthcare time bomb," said Lorna Taylor, BSc (Hons.) Physiotherapy, MCSP, HPCP.