A 25-year-old man in Japan spends most of his time playing on his phone, leading to an inability to lift his head and difficulty swallowing food.
The 25-year-old male patient was found by doctors to have a large mass at the back of his neck and could not lift his head using his neck muscles. The cause was determined to be excessive bowing of the head from playing on his phone too much.

Before coming to the hospital, the young man experienced severe neck pain and difficulty swallowing, which caused rapid weight loss. Eventually, he was unable to lift his head or move his neck comfortably.

Doctors stated that because the patient bent his head down for hours looking at his phone, a large mass formed at the back of his neck. CT scans showed that the patient's cervical vertebrae were deformed and dislocated. Scar tissue formed on the upper spine due to being "overstretched" for a long time.

The male patient was diagnosed with "head drop syndrome." This is a rare pathological condition often associated with congenital neuromuscular diseases or spinal deformities caused by holding the neck bent downward for a prolonged period.

Initially, doctors attempted treatment by having him wear a cervical brace. However, the patient complained of experiencing numbness. Therefore, medical staff had to seek alternative solutions.

Doctors removed a small portion of the vertebra, excised the deformed scar tissue, and inserted screws and metal rods into the cervical bones to correct the posture.

Six months after undergoing neck surgeries, the patient was able to easily lift and hold his head in the proper position. One year later, the young man gradually regained function to move more comfortably and experienced no recurrence of the condition.

The case was published in the 2023 issue of JOS Case Reports. The research team stated that the patient and his family agreed to share their case.