Man, 27, breaks his neck and will likely be left quadriplegic after diving into foam pit at new Spanish leisure centre

• Tests show that the 27-year-old from Blimea has a complete spinal cord injury

By James Callery

Updated: 18:40 EDT, 2 September 2023

‘Tech neck’ is plaguing the world, as people are straining their bones and muscles by looking down at screens for too long – but a survey finds Americans fare the worst.

Wellness experts analyzed Google searches for ‘tech neck’ and ‘fix bad posture,’ finding both were higher in the US, followed by Australia and Canada.

Research shows that the average American spends more than five hours scrolling and even more time staring at screens daily, leading to repeated strain on the bones and muscle stiffness.

A wellness and posture expert has revealed quick fixes to elevate the pain and poor posture, such as yoga moves like the Standing Forward Bend and Warrior II Pose.

Tech neck can feel like the world’s weight is on your shoulders because, in a way, it is.

The average adult head weighs 10-12 pounds, and tipping it forward at a 45-degree angle to stare at a smartphone increases the force on the neck by almost 50 pounds. 

The New York-Presbyterian Hospital defines ‘tech neck’ as ‘the fallout from spending too much time looking down at phones or tablets, or holding your head too far forward to look at a computer screen’, which can cause ‘soreness, stiffness, and even injury’.

And although it seems easy to avoid, ‘tech neck’ poses numerous long-term side effects. It can cause headaches, numbness in your hands, and even permanent spine changes.

This is because spending hours hovering over your phone can cause your neck muscles to lengthen and your chest muscles to shorten, increasing the pressure on your upper spine.

The new survey, commissioned by ISSA Yoga, found searches for ‘soar neck’ increased by nearly 30 per cent in the US over the last month. 

Ireland ranked fourth among tech neck sufferers, followed by Malta, Singapore and the UK.

Finland, Norway and Cyprus ranked at the bottom of the top 10. 

‘Just as some people fall ill once they stop working before a holiday, others will realize that rushing to meet last-minute deadlines before the summer sun hits has had a detrimental effect on their posture, resulting in lower neck and upper back pain,’ said Erika Weiss, a wellness and posture expert at ISSA Yoga.

‘This is particularly true for people who spend long periods at their desk without interruption or those who work remotely and are therefore less inclined to take restorative breaks.’

Weiss stressed the importance of an ergonomic setup when using devices.

‘One of the easiest ways to reduce discomfort caused by bad posture is to raise your devices so that they’re on eye level,’ she said.

‘Try to be conscious of how straight you sit, and if you feel yourself start to slump when concentrating or struggling to read, try to catch yourself and take a break if you can. 

‘Avoid rolling your shoulders forward or outstretching your neck to look at your screen.’

The same protocol should also be used post-work when unwinding, playing video games, or watching television.

Another way to relieve tech neck is through yoga, as it stretches and relaxes the muscles that become tense during the day.

Weiss suggested the best moves are low-impact that bend the spine without adding stress.

However, the wellness expert warns yoga newbies against rushing into exercises.  

‘Many follow the most common or most popular routines without considering their suitability, which can exacerbate back issues and cause more soreness,’ she said.

‘Unless you’re experienced, it’s best to stick to the following moves that can alleviate neck and upper back pain – but make sure you don’t push yourself too much at the start.

‘Some moves you may want to try include the Standing Forward Bend (starting in the Raised Hands Pose), the Warrior II Pose, and the Extended Triangle Pose.’

A man was mauled to death by an American XL Bully dog after it turned on him while he was looking after it for a friend.

Jonathan Hogg, 37, entered the dogs’ pen when it went for him, leaving bite wounds on his arm, leg and head, an inquest heard.

He was rushed to hospital but died of his injuries after the mauling in Leigh, Greater Manchester, last month.

An inquest opening into his death, held today, heard he’d been looking after the dog on behalf of his friend when the incident happened.

The breed of dog was not mentioned in court but had been previously confirmed by police.

Police Coroners Officer Julie Ann Hyde told Bolton Coroners Court today: ‘On May 18 this year, Mr Hogg had been looking after a friend’s dogs on Westleigh Lane, Leigh.

‘He entered the dogs’ pen and one of the dogs attacked him, leaving bite wounds to his arm, leg and head.’

‘Sadly, he passed away at 2.05am on May 19 at Salford Royal Hospital due to his injuries.’

A post mortem exam found Mr Hogg’s cause of death to be head and neck injuries.

PCO Hyde confirmed police enquiries were still ongoing into Mr Hogg’s death, but did not know how long they are set to take.

Coroner Prof Dr Alan Walsh ordered for statements to be taken from Greater Manchester Police, Salford Royal Hospital and Mr Hogg’s GP.

He did not set a date for full inquest, but set a date for a review on September 1 this year.

Emergency services flooded the area of Westleigh Lane in the town after the horrified locals witnessed the attack and raised the alarm.

Armed police shot the dog – an American XL bully – dead on arrival after deeming it was a ‘significant risk’.

A man, 24, has been arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dangerously out of control dog causing injury resulting in death.

A woman, 22, was also arrested on suspicion of money laundering. Both have been bailed.

Greater Manchester Police raided two houses and seized 15 dogs – six adults and nine puppies – believed to also be XL bullies.

The force said the dogs were being cared for at a specialist facility.

Cops also seized items worth £37,500 in the raids, believed to be the result of criminal proceeds, detectives said.

Jonathan, affectionately known as Oggy, sustained serious injuries in the horror attack, which took place just after 9pm on Thursday, May 18.

The owner of a nearby car dealership witnessed the horror attack and desperately tried to drag the animal off the Jonathan.

The victim’s heartbroken family said in a statement released by police: ‘Jonathan was a well-loved, sensitive, and kind person who will never know how loved and appreciated he was by everyone who knew him.

‘We have been inundated with messages of support.’

Mr Hogg’s brother Ian posted on social media: ‘Can’t believe I’m writing this but rest easy kid. Heartbroken isn’t the word.’

Cops were called to a plot of land behind a garage, which appears to have been used for the training of dogs and includes a fenced off patch of artificial grass.

A ripped up football, a dog bowl and training bag were visible at the site.

A breezeblock annex at the site appears to have been used to accommodate dogs.

A ripped up mattress, a large bag of dog food and what appears to be dog kennels could be seen.

The horror attack came after a six-year-old boy’s parents revealed he was lucky to be alive after being scalped by a dog bought on Facebook two weeks earlier.

The attack prompted police to issue a warning about buying dogs from breeders advertising on social media. 

And it follows a spate of maulings involving the breed, which shares DNA with banned American Pit Bull Terriers.

Six of the ten dog-related deaths in the UK last year were caused by bully or bully crosses, sparking calls from campaigners for the breed to be banned.

In March last year, 17-month-old Bella-Rae Birch was killed in her family’s home in St Helens, Merseyside, just a week after they bought the dog.

Also in 2022, Joanne Robinson, 43, was mauled to death by her pet Bully XL dog after it ‘turned mad in the extreme heat’ at a house in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

Schoolboy Jack Lis, 10, was killed in an attack by an XL Bully in 2021 while playing at a friend’s house in Caerphilly, South Wales.

It’s a deadly type of cancer that’s on the rise. 

Around 12,400 new cases of head and neck cancers are diagnosed in the UK each year, with roughly 66,000 in the US. 

But symptoms can be hard to spot, according to the NHS. 

Earlier today MailOnline revealed the convicted paedophile TV host and musician Rolf Harris had died aged 93, with a private funeral already having taken place.  

The disgraced TV star had been ‘very sick’ with neck cancer that left him ‘gurgling’ when talking, since leaving prison six years ago, close sources claimed.

In the UK, cancer of the head or neck is the eighth most common, accounting for some three per cent of all new cases. 

There are more than 30 areas within the head and neck where tumours can develop.

Nine in 10 head and neck cancers start in squamous cells, Macmillan Cancer Support notes.

Squamous cells are flat, skin like cells that cover the lining of the mouth, nose, larynx, thyroid and throat.

Symptoms of head and neck cancer vary depending on the area affected. 

Here, MailOnline reveals the six key warning signs of neck cancer to look out for. 

A lump in the neck 

Often, the first noticeable sign of cancer is a swollen – or enlarged – lymph node in the neck.

However, in most cases, swollen lymph nodes ‘are more likely to be caused by an infection than cancer’, Macmillan Cancer Support advises. 

But if the lump does not disappear within two or three weeks, your GP should refer you to a specialist doctor, it adds. 

You could also be referred to a one-stop  clinic if that is the only symptom you are experiencing. 

There, tests may include an ultrasound of the neck, a biopsy, which involves removing a sample of tissue from the lump, or a nasendoscopy, which looks at the back of the mouth, nose and throat.

Persistent sore throat 

The symptoms of some neck cancers, including throat cancer, are often similar to symptoms of other much less serious conditions, Cancer Research UK notes. 

Symptoms including a sore throat can mimic common illnesses such as colds or sinus infections.  

But key signs of cancer in the oropharynx or hypopharynx — two parts of the throat — include a persistent sore throat, according to the NHS. 

If you are experiencing throat pain or persistent hoarseness, your dentist or GP should refer you to see a specialist within two weeks, under an urgent referral. 

Difficulty swallowing

Some neck cancers can cause pain or a burning sensation when chewing and swallowing food. 

Difficulty swallowing, known medically as dysphagia, can be a change that may ‘be tough to come to terms with’, Cancer Research UK says. 

It may feel like food is stuck in the throat or that food or liquid is entering the airway — windpipe. 

You could also experience difficulty chewing or moving the jaw or tongue.  

This is because chewing and swallowing involves your lips, teeth, tongue and the muscles in your mouth, jaw and throat working together. 

The tumour itself could be causing the trouble swallowing, by blocking or narrowing the food passage. 

Unexplained weight loss

Weight loss is a common symptom of many different types of cancer. 

There are several causes of weight loss and while losing weight is often associated with a loss of appetite, it is not the only cause. 

Difficulty swallowing and experiencing pain in the neck can put people off eating and lead to weight loss. 

Studies have also shown pre-treatment unexplained weight loss is a ‘major’ indicator of those with neck cancers.  

‘If you are losing weight for no obvious reason, speak to your doctor,’ Macmillan Cancer Support says. 

Changes to voice 

Neck cancer can affect your voice and you may experience changes in your speech.

This could include sounding quieter or husky. 

Sometimes speech can also become slurred if you have trouble pronouncing certain sounds. 

‘It can be very distressing and frustrating to lose your ability to talk or to talk less fluently,’ Cancer Research UK notes. 

‘Adjusting to changes in speech can take some time. It is important to allow time to take it all in and find new ways of speaking and communicating.’

People who have voice changes — like hoarseness — that do not improve within three weeks should see your GP as soon as possible, the NHS advises.

Ear pain 

While it could be a sign of an ear infection, symptoms including earache or ear pain should not be dismissed.

Hearing loss or having trouble hearing is common sign of some neck cancers, including throat cancers, according to the NHS. 

You may also experience ringing in the ears or persistent earache.

Due to the location of neck cancers, as they progress they can also cause issues with ear pain.  

A private ambulance has been photographed outside the riverside home of Rolf Harris, who has been ‘very sick’ with neck cancer since leaving prison, MailOnline can reveal today.

The disgraced TV star, 93, has been struggling to talk or eat and has been living as a near-recluse at his £5million home in Berkshire since he was feed from jail in 2017 for a string of sex offences.

His wife Alwen, 91, a jeweller and sculptor, is in a wheelchair because of Alzheimer’s disease but the couple, who married in 1958 and have one child, live together with the help of around the clock care.

Yesterday a private ambulance was parked outside the property, leaving at around 6pm. MailOnline has asked Harris’ spokesman to comment. 

Private investigator and author William Merritt told MailOnline he saw him in late 2022, and he was gravely ill. He said: ‘Rolf has been very sick. When I saw him he was able to speak to me. He was with it, but he was obviously unwell’.

Mr Merritt said Rolf has had neck cancer and there have been serious concerns about his health, although he was ‘getting on with things’. Due to the cancer, Rolf is said to ‘gurgle’ when talking and is hard to understand.

His wife Alwen has also been seriously ill with Alzheimer’s disease.  ‘She’s very frail’, he said. 

Harris’s daughter Bindi had no comment to make when contacted at her home in a Somerset village. Her husband Craig also refused to comment. 

A family friend told MailOnline: ’In recent years Bindi has nothing to say about her father. She gets very stressed when asked about him and prefers not to talk about him’.

The Harris family solicitor lawyer Daniel Burke told MailOnline he has had no contact with the immediate family. He said he had not spoken to Rolf’s only daughter Bindi and had no instructions to prepare or issue statement concerning his failing health. 

It understood Rolf Harris’ health took a turn for the worse after the sudden death of his beloved poodle earlier in 2022. 

Harris married his sculptor wife Alwen in March 1958 after meeting at art school. The couple have one daughter Bindi.

Best known for hits Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport and Jake The Peg, as well as a string of children’s TV hits, Harris also famously painted the 80th birthday portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

He was the face of British Paints for more than three decades before he was dumped by the brand when he was arrested in 2013.

The following year, Harris was found guilty on 12 counts of indecent assault, and was sentenced to five years and nine months in jail .

The assaults include one on an eight-year-old autograph hunter, two on girls in their early teens, and a catalogue of abuse against his daughter’s friend of over 16 years.

He was released on parole in May 2017 after serving three years behind bars.

Of the 12 convictions, one was overturned on appeal in November 2017, and a jury chose not to convict him in two additional cases in the same year.

The convicted paedophile, 93, lives as reclusive life in the English village of Bray.

Mr Merritt said last year that Rolf now prefers to be on his own and doesn’t ‘particularly like kids’ as he ‘hates the noise’.

‘(He’s) battling a cancer of the neck, and gurgles when he talks. It’s difficult to understand him,’ Mr Merritt said.

‘As soon as one of two people walk into the room, he turns into a big kid again. He’s an artistic type, and he’ll try to perform on cue, even when he’s unwell.’ 

Harris’ health has deteriorated in recent years and that he was hospitalised during his stint in prison when his diabetes spiralled out of control.

‘He’s in poor health and has declined rapidly. He doesn’t come out any more and when he does it’s only ever with his carer,’ one neighbour said in 2019.

Harris hasn’t spoken publicly since his release from jail in 2017 but released a statement in Mr Merritt’s recently released book Rolf Harris: The Defence Team’s Special Investigator Reveals the Truth Behind the Trials.

‘I understand we live in the post truth era and know few will want to know what really happened during the three criminal trials I faced – it’s easier to condemn me and liken me to people like Saville and Glitter,’ Harris said.

‘I was convicted of offences I did not commit in my first trial. That is not just my view but the view of the Court of Appeal who overturned one of my convictions. I had already served the prison sentence by the time of the appeal.

‘I changed my legal team after the first trial, and I was told that if the truth was out there, William (Merritt) would find it and he did.

‘The evidence he found proved my innocence to two subsequent juries.

‘I’d be in prison serving a sentence for crimes I did not commit if it were not for William’s investigation.

‘It is difficult to put into words the injustice that I feel.’