‘Pain in the neck’ ailing most youngsters in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: On Saturday, the Spine OPD of HOSMAT, will be filled with youngsters who have come for treatment for their never-ending neck and back pain. The major reason young adults take sick leaves these days is neck and back pain.

The IT city has borne the brunt of this occupational hazard in the form of long queues at the out-patient department of orthopaedic facilities in hospitals. In the city, the hospital for Orthopaedics, Sports Medicine, HOSMAT, Arthritis and Trauma get around 150-200 neck and back pain complaints in a month.

“Performance perks and pressure to meet deadlines force youngsters to stay at their desks for long hours, which is disastrous to health,” says Dr Ajith Benedict Royan, medical director, HOSMAT. He adds, “This is the main reason why on most Saturdays our Spine OPDs are filled with youngsters complaining of back pain, neck pain, wrist pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, cervical spondylosis and lumbar spondylosis.”

Dr Jayanth Kumar B.C. senior consultant orthopaedic surgeon, at St. Martha’s, adds, “Out of 70 patients, around 12 complain of neck and back pain and about 10%–12% of my OPD’s are filled with young patients.”