Aberrant postures have led to an increase in young adults developing a bone growth at the back of the skull, according to a study by University of the Sunshine Coast scientists.
A radiograph of a 28-year-old male participant. Image credit: Shahar & Sayers, doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-21625-1.
In 2016, University of the Sunshine Coast researchers David Shahar and Mark Sayers analyzed X-rays of 218 young Australians (18-30-year-old) and found that 41% had a bone growth (10-30 mm) at the back of the skull called an enlarged external occipital protuberance (EEOP).
Their more recent study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, showed that an EEOP was more common in young adults than in the older population.
“The large bony growths were once exclusive to older patients, as they resulted from long-term load on the skeleton, so was surprised to find many of the growths in younger people,” Dr. Shahar said.
“This is evidence that musculoskeletal degenerative processes can start and progress silently from an early age.”
“These findings were surprising because typically they take years to develop and are more likely to be seen in the ageing population.”
“It is important to understand that, in most cases, bone spurs measure a few single millimeters and yet we found projections of 10 to 30 mm in the studied young population.”
Further testing including MRI scans and blood testing ruled out the possibility that the growths were the result of genetic factors or inflammation.
“The findings offered a warning about the early and silent development of bone and joint damage due to poor posture and highlighted the need for prevention intervention through posture modification when using hand-held technologies,” Dr. Shahar said.
“We hypothesize that the sustained increase load at that muscle attachment is due to the weight of the head shifting forward with the use of modern technologies for long periods of time.”
“Shifting the head forwards results in the transfer of the head’s weight from the bones of the spine to the muscles at the back of the neck and head.”
“The increased load prompts remodeling on both the tendon and the bony ends of the attachment. The tendon’s footprint on the bone becomes wider to distribute the load on a larger surface area of the bone.”
“The thing is that the bump is not the problem, the bump is a sign of sustained terrible posture, which can be corrected quite simply,” Dr. Sayers said.
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David Shahar & Mark G.L. Sayers. 2018. Prominent exostosis projecting from the occipital squama more substantial and prevalent in young adult than older age groups. Scientific Reports 8, article number: 3354; doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-21625-1
