Evaluations of 305 adolescents revealed that 8.6% currently had back pain, 47% had back pain in the last year, and 65.1% had an episode of back pain in their lifetime. The researchers add that 5.9% of participants currently had neck pain, and the one-year and lifetime prevalence for neck pain was 39.8% and 51%, respectively. Further analysis showed that back pain was more common among older teens and those who sat with poor posture, while neck pain was more likely among teens who used their smartphone more than ten hours a week.

Journal of Orthopaedic Science, November 2019