A 25-year-old Japanese man who spent most of his time looking down at his phone eventually became unable to raise his own head and was diagnosed with “dropped head syndrome”.
The rare case report published a couple of years ago in the medical journal JOS Case Reports detailed the disturbing consequences of keeping one’s head bent down for hours on end. The patient had developed a large bulge (凸起) at the back of his neck and could no longer lift his own head using his neck muscles. Before seeking medical help, the man had reportedly experienced serious neck pains and had difficulty swallowing, which caused him to lose weight quickly. Eventually, his neck became weak due to the unnatural position and he became unable to lift his head.
Japanese doctors noted that the patient had been a very active child, but everything changed during his teenage years, when he became the target of “serious bullying” at school, which caused him to drop out of school and spend most of his days locked in his room by himself, playing on his phone. Spending hours on end with his neck bent to look down at his phone caused a huge bulge to form at the back of his neck.
At first, doctors tried treating his dropped head with collars, but after the patient complained of numbness in his neck, they decided to choose another solution. Over a series of surgical procedures, they removed a small portion of the deformed vertebrae (椎骨) and scar tissue before inserting screws (螺丝) and metal rods into the bones of his neck to correct his posture. Six months after undergoing the neck surgeries, the patient was able to easily lift his head and keep it in a correct position.
The same was observed at a subsequent follow-up, a year after the operations. Doctors used this extreme case as a warning against the dangers of excessive smartphone usage, especially among youths.
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1.1. What was the direct cause of the man’s “dropped head syndrome”?
A Genetic-related defects.
B Bent-neck phone overuse.
C Severe bullying at school.
D Improper treatment.
解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据第二段中的“The patient had developed a large bulge...Eventually, his neck became weak due to the unnatural position”可知，长时间低头看手机导致的异常姿势是直接原因。故选B。
2.2. What’s the third paragraph mainly about?
A Childhood activities.
B The symptoms described.
C Phone use causes.
D The prevention methods.
解析：选C。C段落大意题。该段重点解释患者沉迷手机的原因——因校园欺凌辍学后自我封闭，与选项C直接对应。故选C。
3.3. Why did doctors change the treatment method?
A The patient refused to wear collars.
B The collars caused severe swelling.
C Surgery was cheaper than collars.
D The patient reported neck numbness.
解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据第四段的“At first, doctors tried treating his dropped head with collars, but after the patient complained of numbness in his neck, they decided to choose another solution.”可知，更换治疗方案的原因是患者抱怨颈部麻木。故选D。
4.4. What is the primary purpose of this case report?
A To warn about phone use risks.
B To introduce a rare condition.
C To promote new neck surgeries.
D To discuss bullying’s effects.
解析：选A。A 推理判断题。最后一段指出“Doctors used this extreme case as a warning against the dangers of excessive smartphone usage, especially among youths.”表明，报告这个案例旨在警示过度使用智能手机的健康风险。故选A。
