A SHENZHEN hospital recently received a 3-year-old girl suffering from cervical problems, because her neck lacked protection when she slept in a safety seat in the car causing joint malpositioning, southcn.com reported.

    The mother of the girl, Xiao Han, who lives in Yantian District, realized the girl’s neck couldn’t move several days ago.

    After being diagnosed by a doctor at Shenzhen Pingle Orthopaedic Hospital, Xiao Han was confirmed to have atlanto-axial luxation, namely the dislocation of a neck joint, and there was also slight lateral bending in her cervical vertebra.

    Xiao Han’s parents could not figure out the cause of their daughter’s problem because they seldom let the girl play with electronic devices for a long time and had always paid attention to her sitting posture.

    The doctor at the hospital later discovered that the safety seat that Xiao Han had always used when traveling in the car was to blame. According to the parents, Xiao Han always slept in the safety seat with her head hanging down when she was in the car.

    “The neck muscles are loose when people are sleeping, so children’s necks are not well-protected. Shaking during the car ride will easily result in joint dislocation, which creates a risk of neck problems,” said doctor Huang Chusheng, who treated Xiao Han.

    After several days of treatment, Xiao Han gradually recovered from the joint dislocation and lateral bending of her neck.

    Doctors reminded parents to prepare a U-shaped neck pillow to protect their young children while they are sitting in safety seats.

    (Zhang Qian, Liu Shiyang)