Smartphone Addiction and Muscular Disorder

The Effect of Smartphone Addiction on the Musculoskeletal System

Background and aim: The use of smartphones, which has reached the level of addiction causes some physical and psychological health problems. The aim was to examine the musculoskeletal disorders of the neck and upper extremities of mobile phone addiction in a population of young adults.

Methods: The study is a cross sectional research conducted on students of a university in İstanbul between December 2018-October 2020. The level of addiction was assessed with the Smartphone Addiction Scale Short Form (SAS-SF). The posture of participants was evaluated by New York Posture Rating Chart (NYPRC), mostly usage smartphone posture, forward head and myofascial trigger points were questioned according to Simon and Travel criteria. Mann-Whitney U test Pearson's chi-squared test were used for analyzing the data.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Myofascial Trigger Point
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: EVALUATION

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 136

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey
  • Istanbul, Turkey
    • Istanbul Arel University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 25 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The participants of this study included 136 healthy students between the ages of 18 - 25 years. The study group consisted of 84 females and 52 males.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• used smartphones
• volunteered to participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• having any history of trauma at the neck region within the last six months,
• taking any treatment for trigger points within the last 3 months
• having a history of neck surgery.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Smartphone Addiction	Smartphone Addictive Scale - Short Form (SAS - SF) that developed by Kwan et al. (2013), was used for the assessment of smartphone addiction. The cut off value of SAS-SF are 31 for men, 33 for women (6). The Turkish translated version of the SAS - SF is a reliable, consistent and valid instrument	Baseline
Posture	The posture of the participants was assessed by using the New York Posture Rating Chart (NYPRC). In this evaluation method, postural changes that may occur in 13 different parts of the body (head, neck, shoulder, scapula, upper thoracic, waist, rips, abdomen, hips, knees, legs, feet and toe) are observed and scored. Each body segment was scored on the scale of; 5 (correct posture), 3 (slight deviation), or 1 (pronounced deviation). Higher points show better postural alignment	Baseline
myofascial trigger point	The presence of myofascial trigger points were questioned by Simon and Travel's criteria in the sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezius, levator scapula, rhomboid, infraspinatus and cervical extensor muscles. These criteria were -The presence of a tender spot in a taut band or nodules of skeletal muscle; -Subject recognition of pain upon palpation of a tender spot; -Subject referred pain pattern; -The presence of a local twitch response	Baseline
Forward head posture	Forward head postures of the participants were evaluated by measuring the tragus to wall distance with a tape measure. For forward head posture, the patients were measured in standing position, leaning against the back wall, in free posture	Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Istanbul Arel University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 1, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 1, 2019
• Study Completion (Actual): October 1, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 8, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 17, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): March 29, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 29, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 17, 2022
• Last Verified: March 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Smartphone; myofascial trigger point; mobile phone addiction; forward head
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Compulsive Behavior; Impulsive Behavior; Behavior, Addictive; Internet Addiction Disorder
• Other Study ID Numbers: smartphoneaddictionozden

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No