Does Mental Fatigue Caused by Social Media Use Affect Biomechanical Properties of Muscles in Young Male Athletes?

November 21, 2025 updated by: Burçin Akçay, Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University

The Effect of Text Neck Syndrome on the Muscle and Bone Architecture of the Cervical Region

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of mental fatigue (MF) induced by 30 minutes of social media use on neck kinematics and neck muscle biomechanical properties in young male athletes. Twenty-five participants are enrolled in a single-blind cross-sectional design. Baseline and post-MF assessments include cervical range of motion measured with a CROM device, forward head posture evaluated using craniovertebral angle analysis, and muscle tone, stiffness, and elasticity measured with MyotonPRO. MF is induced through 30 minutes of Instagram® use on a smartphone and quantified with a 100-mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). No results or conclusions are provided in this section.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of mental fatigue (MF) induced by 30 minutes of social media use on neck kinematics and the biomechanical properties of the neck muscles [upper trapezius, sternocleidomastoid (SCM), semispinalis (SS), and splenius capitis (SC)] in young male athletes. Twenty-five young male athletes are enrolled in a single-blind cross-sectional study. Participants undergo assessments at baseline and again following MF induction. These assessments include cervical range of motion (CROM) measured with a validated CROM device, forward head posture (FHP) evaluated via craniovertebral angle (CVA) photometric analysis, and muscle biomechanical properties (tone, stiffness, elasticity) measured using the MyotonPRO device. Mental fatigue is induced through 30 minutes of Instagram use on a smartphone. MF severity is assessed using a 100-mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). No results or conclusions are reported in this section.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

25

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Balıkesir
      • Bandırma, Balıkesir, Turkey (Türkiye), 10200
        • Health Sciencies

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Amateur athletes aged 18-35
  • using social media via a smartphone
  • actively participating in competitions

Exclusion Criteria:

  • having a surgical operation or trauma related to the neck region, having any pathology in the neck region (neck cyst, tumours, haematoma, etc.), having a history of traumatic injury in the neck region, and having neurological and rheumatic diseases.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Screening
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental Design
The study was conducted as a single-blind experimental study. Since it was thought that mental functions might be affected, all the procedures to be applied were explained to the participants, and written informed consent was obtained, but the purpose and hypotheses were not explained. After the final assessment of the participants was completed, the purpose and hypotheses of this study were explained. The study was conducted between June 2024 and February 2025.
Other: Metal Fatigue Protocols
Metal Fatigue Protocols Participants used Instagram® for 30 minutes by browsing their personal feed with one-handed tapping and swiping gestures. They were allowed to scroll and like posts but were restricted from viewing stories or reels and from sharing any content.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Range of Motion of the Neck
Time Frame: Baseline
The normal joint motion of the cervical region was evaluated with the Cervical Range of Motion (CROM-Perfomance Attainment Associates, St. Paul, MN, 55117, United States) device, which has clinical validity and reliability. The flexion, extension, right and left lateral flexion and rotation angles of the cervical region were measured three times and averaged with the CROM device.
Baseline
Forward Head Posture
Time Frame: Baseline
The craniovertebral angle (CVA) was measured using a photometric method with the participants in a standing position. Prior to imaging, the C7 process and tragus were marked. A camera was placed 1.5 m from the lateral surface of the body at the level of the acromial process.
Baseline
Biomechanical Properties of Muscles
Time Frame: Baseline
The biomechanical properties of cervical muscles were assessed using the MyotonPRO, which quantifies tissue oscillations following a brief mechanical impulse to determine tone, stiffness, and elasticity. This method provides reliable interrater and intrarater measurements for cervical musculature when applied perpendicularly in a standardized supine position, as demonstrated in previous research. For each muscle, three consecutive measurements were recorded following established protocols for the sternocleidomastoid and upper trapezius.The MyotonPro enables the assessment of various parameters, including the state of resting muscle tone (F), defined as the suppressed EMG signal, and dynamic stiffness (S). The basis of stiffness assessment using myotonometry is the theory of free oscillations, arising from the natural oscillations of tissues in response to brief mechanical exposure of the skin.
Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

June 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 20, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

February 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 22, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 21, 2025

First Posted (Estimated)

December 4, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

December 4, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 21, 2025

Last Verified

November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2024-110

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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