Department of Pediatrics, University of Chieti, 66100 Chieti, Italy.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Feb 7;18(4):1565. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18041565.
Neck pain is a prevalent health problem, largely reported in adult patients. However, very recent data show that new technologies are inducing a shift in the prevalence of this relevant issue from adulthood to all of the pediatric ages. In fact, the precocious and inappropriate use of personal computers and especially cell phones might be related to the development of a complex cluster of clinical symptoms commonly defined as "text neck syndrome". The purpose of this article is to analyze the new phenomenon of the "text neck syndrome", the underlying causes and risk factors of musculoskeletal pain, that can be modified by changes in routine life, in different cultures and habits, and on the "text neck syndrome" as increased stresses on the cervical spine, that can lead to cervical degeneration along with other developmental, medical, psychological, and social complications. Findings support the contention that an appropriate approach for an early diagnosis and treatment is crucial to properly evaluate this emerging issue worldwide in children and adolescents who spend a lot of time watching smartphones and computers; additional research with more rigorous study designs and objective measures of musculoskeletal pain are needed to confirm significant relationships. Existing evidence is limited by non-objective measures and the subjective nature of musculoskeletal pain.
颈部疼痛是一种普遍存在的健康问题，主要发生在成年患者中。然而，最近的数据显示，新技术正在使这个相关问题的患病率从成年期转移到所有儿科年龄段。事实上，个人电脑特别是手机的过早和不当使用可能与一组通常被定义为“文本颈综合征”的复杂临床症状的发展有关。本文的目的是分析“文本颈综合征”的新现象，即肌肉骨骼疼痛的潜在原因和危险因素，可以通过日常生活习惯的改变、不同文化和习惯以及“文本颈综合征”对颈椎的压力增加来改变，这可能导致颈椎退化以及其他发育、医疗、心理和社会并发症。研究结果支持这样一种观点，即早期诊断和治疗的适当方法对于在全球范围内评估儿童和青少年因长时间观看智能手机和电脑而出现的这一新兴问题至关重要；需要进行更多设计严谨、采用客观肌肉骨骼疼痛测量方法的研究，以确认显著的关联。现有证据受到非客观测量和肌肉骨骼疼痛的主观性的限制。
