text: Backache is striking us younger than ever – with almost half of the under-30s saying they are battling constant pain. Experts blame increasingly sedentary lifestyles and an obsession with mobile phones for a sharp rise in the number of young people with back and neck problems. And they warn that children as young as 12 are seeking treatment. As gadgets get smaller, users lean over them more, putting the neck and shock-absorbing discs that cushion the vertebrae under added pressure . Some 45 per cent of the under-30s surveyed for the British Chiropractic Association said they had a painful back or neck – up from 28 per cent last year. Across all age groups, 86 per cent said it was a problem – compared with 77 per cent last year. Almost one in four said that they are in pain on a daily basis. Chiropractors blame the increase on days and nights spent sitting hunched over mobile phones and tablet computers. Rishi Loatey, a chiropractor in North-West London, sees patients who are still at school, including some as young as 12. He said working on laptops and tablets rather than desktop computers, as well as using mobile phones, can affect posture and put the back under extra strain. As gadgets get smaller, users lean over them more, putting the neck and shock-absorbing discs that cushion the vertebrae under added pressure. The fashion for hot-desking, in which office workers don't have an assigned desk of their own, adds to the problem because the chair is not adjusted to suit them. The survey of more than 2,100 Britons aged 16-plus also revealed just how sedentary modern life is. Almost two-thirds said they spend most of their working day sitting. And the average Briton spends almost three hours in front of the TV each evening. In all, we typically spend ten hours a day sitting. Chiropractor Tim Hutchful of the BCA said: 'We're seeing a rise in the number of people experiencing back and neck-related problems because our modern lifestyle is forcing us to stay seated and I'm concerned that the number of patients under the age of 30 coming through our doors is increasing. 'Whether at your desk, on your tablet or watching TV, it's really important to take breaks to relieve the build-up of tension in your back.'
target: Some 45 per cent of under 30s surveyed said they had painful back or neck .
  Survey by British Chiropractic Association showed a 28 per cent yearly rise .
  As gadgets get smaller, users lean over them adding pressure on the neck .