How does smartphone usage affect the severity of neck pain, neck-pain related disability, and cervical lordosis? A pilot study

Main Article Content

Damla Cankurtaran
Zeynep Aykin Yigman
Fatih Yigman
Gulnur Celik

Abstract

Objective: Long-term and repetitive use of smartphones may cause musculoskeletal symptoms such as neck pain. This pilot study aimed to examine the effect of smartphone usage on neck pain, disability, and cervical lordosis.


Material and Methods: Seventy-eight patients were enrolled in this cross-sectional pilot study. The level of smartphone use was evaluated with the Smartphone addiction scale-short version (SAS-SV). Neck Bournemouth Questionnaire (NBQ), Neck Disability Index (NDI), and 100 mm Visual Analog Scale (VAS) were used to assess pain and disability. Cervical lordosis angle was measured using the Cobb method.


Results: A positive significant correlation with low correlation coefficient (r= 0.277, p=0.014; r: 0.295, p=0.009) was determined between SAS-SV and NBQ, and NDI. However, no correlation was found between SAS-SV and cervical lordosis angle (p>0.05). When applying simple linear regression modeling to predict neck pain severity, the SAS-SV total score alone explained 7.7% of the variance of the NBQ and 9.0% of the variance of the NDI total score.


Conclusion: We concluded that it would be beneficial to question the frequency and position of smartphone use, to recommend to use it less, and to avoid prolongation in neck flexion for patients with chronic neck pain.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

How to Cite
Cankurtaran, D., Aykin Yigman, Z., Yigman, F., & Celik, G. (2021). How does smartphone usage affect the severity of neck pain, neck-pain related disability, and cervical lordosis? A pilot study. Medical Science and Discovery, 8(4), 254–259. https://doi.org/10.36472/msd.v8i4.527
Section
Research Article
Received 2021-04-01
Accepted 2021-04-13
Published 2021-04-18

References

AlAbdulwahab SS, Kachanathu SJ, AlMotairi MS: Smartphone use addiction can cause neck disability Musculoskeletal Care 15:10-12,2017.

Alsalameh AM, Harisi MJ, Alduayji MA, Almutham AA, Mahmood FM: Evaluating the relationship between smartphone addiction/overuse and musculoskeletal pain among medical students at Qassim University. J Family Med Prim Care 8:2953-2959,2019.

Arslan A, Ünal AT: Examination of cell phone usage habits and purposes of education faculty students. Journal of Human Sciences 1:182-201,2013.

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5®). American Psychiatric Pub; 2013.

Thomée S, Härenstam A, Hagberg M: Mobile phone use and stress, sleep disturbances, and symptoms of depression among young adults--a prospective cohort study. BMC Public Health 11:66,2011.

Portelli A, Reid SA: Cervical proprioception in a young population who spend long periods on mobile devices: 2-group comparative observational study. Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics 41:123-128,2018.

Lee YS, Yang HS, Jeong CJ,Yoo YD, Jeong GY, Moon JS, Kang MK, Hong SW: Changes in the thickness of median nerves due to excessive use of smartphones. Journal of physical therapy science 24:1259-1262,2012

Xie Y,Szeto G, Dai J: Prevalence and risk factors associated with musculoskeletal complaints among users of mobile handheld devices: A systematic review. Applied ergonomics 59:132-42,2017.

Namwongsa S, Puntumetakul R, Neubert MS, Boucaut R: Factors associated with neck disorders among university student smartphone users. Work 61:367-378,2018.

Öğrenc A,Koban O, Yaman O, Dalbayrak S, Yılmaz M. The Effect of Technological Devices on Cervical Lordosis. Open Access Maced J Med Sci 6:467-471,2018.

Noyan CO, Darci AE, Nurmedov S, Yilmaz O, Dilbaz N:Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version among university students. Anatolian Journal of Psychiatry 16:73-81,2015.

Bolton JE, Humphreys BK: The Bournemouth Questionnaire: a short-form comprehensive outcome measure. II. Psychometric properties in neck pain patients. Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics 25:141-148,2012.

Yılmaz O, Gafuroğlu Ü, Yüksel S: Translation, reliability, and validity of the Turkish version of the Neck Bournemouth Questionnaire. Turkish Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 65:59,2019.

Vernon H: The Neck Disability Index: state-of-the-art, 1991-2008. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 31:491-502,2008.

Kesiktas N, Ozcan E, Vernon H: Clinimetric properties of the Turkish translation of a modified neck disability index. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 13:25,2012.

Lee S, Kang H, Shin G: Head flexion angle while using a smartphone. Ergonomics 58:220-226,2015.

Mousavi-Khatir R, Talebian S, Toosizadeh N, Olyaei GR, Maroufi N: Disturbance of neck proprioception and feed-forward motor control following static neck flexion in healthy young adults. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 41:160-167,2018.

Veiersted K, Westgaard R: Development of trapezius myalgia among female workers performing light manual work. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health 19: 277 283,1993.

Kwon M, Lee JY, Won WY, Park JW, Min JA, Hahn C, Gu X, Chio JH, Kim DJ:. Development and validation of a smartphone addiction scale (SAS). PloS one 8: e56936,2013.

Eitivipart AC, Viriyarojanakul S, Redhead L: Musculoskeletal disorder and pain associated with smartphone use: A systematic review of biomechanical evidence. Hong Kong Physiotherapy Journal 38:77-90,2018.

Chiang H-yA, Liu C-H: Exploration of the associations of touch-screen tablet computer usage and musculoskeletal discomfort. Work 53:917-925,2016.

Woo EH, White P, Lai CW: Musculoskeletal impact of the use of various types of electronic devices on university students in Hong Kong: An evaluation by means of self reported questionnaire. Manual therapy 26:47-53,2016.

Kwok SWH, Lee PH, Lee RLT: Smart device use and perceived physical and psychosocial outcomes among Hong Kong adolescents. International journal of environmental research and public health 14(2): p. 205,2017.

Straker L, Harris C, Joosten J, Howie EK:Mobile technology dominates school children’s IT use in an advantaged school community and is associated with musculoskeletal and visual symptoms. Ergonomics 61:658-669,2018.

Shan Z, Deng G, Li J, Li Y, Zhang Y, Zhao Q: Correlational analysis of neck/shoulder pain and low back pain with the use of digital products, physical activity and psychological status among adolescents in Shanghai. Plos one 8: e78109,2013.

Mustafaoglu R, Yasaci Z, Zirek E, Griffiths MD, Ozdincler AR: The relationship between smartphone addiction and musculoskeletal pain prevalence among young population: a cross sectional study. Korean J Pain 34(1):72-81,2021.

Lee TH, Kim SJ, Lim SM: Prevalence of disc degeneration in asymptomatic Korean subjects. Part 2: cervical spine. Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Societ 53: 89,2013.

Guo GM, Li J, Diao QX, Zhu TH,Song ZX, Guo YY, Gao YZ: Cervical lordosis in asymptomatic individuals: a meta-analysis. Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research 13:1-7,2018.

Gao K, Zhang J, Lai J, Liu W, Lyu H, Wu Y, Lin Z, Cao Y: Correlation between cervical lordosis and cervical disc herniation in young patients with neck pain. Medicine 98:31,2019.

Yoon SY, Moon HI, Lee SC, Eun NL, Kim YW: Association between cervical lordotic curvature and cervical muscle cross‐sectional area in patients with loss of cervical lordosis. Clinical anatomy 31:710-715,2015.

Okada E, Matsumoto M, Ichihara D, Chiba K, Toyama Y, Fujiwara H, Momoshima S, Nishiwaki Y, Hashimoto T, Ogawa J, Watanabe M, Takahata T: Aging of the cervical spine in healthy volunteers: a 10-year longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging study. Spine 34:706-712,2009..