Mobile phone users risk 'text neck'

LONDON, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- A condition dubbed "text neck" is being seen in people who spend time hunched over their mobile phone and tablet computer screens, British chiropractors say.

The say the condition occurs because the joints and tissue in the neck are not meant to flexed for long periods, and hours spent peering down at a screen causes too much stress, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.

"Imagine sitting on your ankle sideways for 10 minutes," Rachael Lancaster of Freedom Back Clinics in Leeds said. "It would feel stiff and sore when you returned it to its natural position.

"That is exactly what people are doing with their necks. If people continue to put their necks in these positions, the body will gradually adapt to the stresses."

This could eventually cause the natural curvature of the neck to reverse with possible serious health issues, she said.

Children are more at risk because their heads are larger in relation to their body size than adults, Tim Hutchful of the British Chiropractic Association said.

People should take regular screen breaks, sit up straight while texting and hold their phones or tablets a little higher to avoid problems, chiropractors said.