Warning: This article contains discussion of drug addiction, spinal deformities, and chronic musculoskeletal conditions, which some readers may find distressing.
A man who struggled through years of substance abuse developed a terrifying condition known as dropped head syndrome — a disorder that can intersect with long-term neuromuscular damage, orthopedic complications, and rehabilitation care.
The 23-year-old, who has not been named, was pictured by doctors in Iran, who captured the alarming state of his neck, which could no longer support his head after what is believed to be several years of drug dependency.
The prolonged abuse of illicit substances may have contributed to his deteriorating physical health, requiring extensive diagnostic imaging and future chronic illness management.
Dangerous Drug Use and Musculoskeletal Collapse
He was left with an extreme bend in his neck after regularly taking a dangerous combination of different drugs, with the medics reporting that his use of amphetamine (also known as speed) triggered a fixed kyphotic neck position — where his chin would fall to his chest for long periods at a time.
While you would normally expect serious neck trauma to lead to a situation as alarming as this, as seen with cases of internal decapitation in past spinal trauma reports, it appears that the young man’s condition stemmed from long-term use of heroin, opium, and speed.
