Association between mobile phone use and neck pain in university students: A cross-sectional study using numeric rating scale for evaluation of neck pain

Fadi Al-Hadidi, Isam Bsisu, Saif Aldeen AlRyalat, Belal Al-Zu'bi, Rasha Bsisu, Mohammad Hamdan, Tareq Kanaan, Mohamad Yasin, Omar Samarah, Fadi Al-Hadidi, Isam Bsisu, Saif Aldeen AlRyalat, Belal Al-Zu'bi, Rasha Bsisu, Mohammad Hamdan, Tareq Kanaan, Mohamad Yasin, Omar Samarah

Abstract

Objective: Mobile phones are reliable devices for communication and entertainment. However, their utilization for prolonged periods in flexed neck position is linked to neck and shoulders pain. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the association between neck pain and the duration of device use, taking into consideration gender, age, and the most frequent position in which students use their devices.

Subjects and methods: Based on a self-administered online questionnaire, we filled 500 questionnaires between February 15th, 2017 and March 18th, 2017. The study sample included healthy students from health care faculties regardless of their age, gender, or handedness.

Results: Analysis of the predictors for pain severity showed that age (p = 0.04) and duration of use (p = 0.001) were significantly associated with the severity of neck pain, while only the duration of use was significantly associated with pain duration (p = 0.036). Subjects were divided into two groups according to the pain score, 75.8% had pain severity equal or less than 4/10 and 24.2% had pain severity more than 4/10. Of those with pain severity >4, 5.8% of students sought medical help at the emergency department and 12.4% visited clinics, compared to only 0.3% seeking medical advice at an emergency department and 4.2% visiting clinics in the group with pain severity of ≤4 (p<0.001). Regarding the use of analgesia in the two groups, 44.6% of subjects with pain severity of >4 used analgesia, compared to only 12.1% in subjects with pain severity of ≤4 (p< 0.001).

Conclusion: This study demonstrates a significant positive correlation between the duration of mobile phone use and the duration and severity of neck pain. Furthermore, the increased severity of neck pain places a huge burden on the healthcare system.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1. The total hours of using…
Fig 1. The total hours of using mobile phone and its relation to pain.
Fig 2. The total duration of mobile…
Fig 2. The total duration of mobile phone use per week and its relation with pain severity.

References

    1. Schabrun SM, van den Hoorn W, Moorcroft A, Greenland C, Hodges PW. Texting and walking: strategies for postural control and implications for safety. PloS one. 2014;9(1):e84312 10.1371/journal.pone.0084312
    1. Kim M-S. Influence of neck pain on cervical movement in the sagittal plane during smartphone use. Journal of physical therapy science. 2015;27(1):15–7. 10.1589/jpts.27.15
    1. Skierkowski D, Wood RM. To text or not to text? The importance of text messaging among college-aged youth. Computers in Human Behavior. 2012;28(2):744–56.
    1. Lee S, Kang H, Shin G. Head flexion angle while using a smartphone. Ergonomics. 2015;58(2):220–6. 10.1080/00140139.2014.967311
    1. Gustafsson E, Johnson PW, Lindegård A, Hagberg M. Technique, muscle activity and kinematic differences in young adults texting on mobile phones. Ergonomics. 2011;54(5):477–87. 10.1080/00140139.2011.568634
    1. Gustafsson E, Johnson PW, Hagberg M. Thumb postures and physical loads during mobile phone use–A comparison of young adults with and without musculoskeletal symptoms. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology. 2010;20(1):127–35. 10.1016/j.jelekin.2008.11.010
    1. Gold J, Driban J, Thomas N, Chakravarty T, Channell V, Komaroff E-g. Postures, typing strategies, and gender differences in mobile device usage: An observational study. Applied ergonomics. 2012;43(2):408–12. 10.1016/j.apergo.2011.06.015
    1. Thomsen JF, Mikkelsen S, Andersen JH, Fallentin N, Loft IP, Frost P, et al. Risk factors for hand-wrist disorders in repetitive work. Occupational and environmental medicine. 2007;64(8):527–33. 10.1136/oem.2005.021170
    1. Lamberg EM, Muratori LM. Cell phones change the way we walk. Gait & posture. 2012;35(4):688–90.
    1. Williamson A, Hoggart B. Pain: a review of three commonly used pain rating scales. Journal of clinical nursing. 2005;14(7):798–804. 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2005.01121.x
    1. Hartrick CT, Kovan JP, Shapiro S. The numeric rating scale for clinical pain measurement: a ratio measure? Pain Practice. 2003;3(4):310–6. 10.1111/j.1530-7085.2003.03034.x
    1. Xie YF, Szeto G, Madeleine P, Tsang S. Spinal kinematics during smartphone texting–A comparison between young adults with and without chronic neck-shoulder pain. Applied Ergonomics. 2018;68:160–8. 10.1016/j.apergo.2017.10.018
    1. Neupane S, Ali UI, Mathew A. Text Neck Syndrome-Systematic Review. Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research. 2017;3(7).
    1. Fillingim RB, King CD, Ribeiro-Dasilva MC, Rahim-Williams B, Riley JL III. Sex, Gender, and Pain: A Review of Recent Clinical and Experimental Findings. The Journal of Pain. 10(5):447–85. 10.1016/j.jpain.2008.12.001
    1. Barsky AJ, Peekna HM, Borus JF. Somatic symptom reporting in women and men. Journal of general internal medicine. 2001;16(4):266–75. 10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.00229.x
    1. Korpinen L, Pääkkönen R. Physical symptoms in young adults and their use of different computers and mobile phones. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics. 2011;17(4):361–71. 10.1080/10803548.2011.11076899
    1. Alfvén R. Psychosomatic pain in children: a psychomuscular tension reaction? European Journal of Pain. 1997;1(1):5–14.
    1. Simons D, Mense S. Understanding and measurement of muscle tone as related to clinical muscle pain. Pain. 1998;75(1):1–17.
    1. 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. 2017;59:132–42. 10.1016/j.apergo.2016.08.020
    1. Klussmann A, Gebhardt H, Liebers F, Rieger MA. Musculoskeletal symptoms of the upper extremities and the neck: a cross-sectional study on prevalence and symptom-predicting factors at visual display terminal (VDT) workstations. BMC musculoskeletal disorders. 2008;9(1):96.
    1. Bijur PE, Latimer CT, Gallagher EJ. Validation of a verbally administered numerical rating scale of acute pain for use in the emergency department. Academic Emergency Medicine. 2003;10(4):390–2.
    1. Jensen MP, Karoly P, Braver S. The measurement of clinical pain intensity: a comparison of six methods. Pain. 1986;27(1):117–26.
    1. Price DD, McGrath PA, Rafii A, Buckingham B. The validation of visual analogue scales as ratio scale measures for chronic and experimental pain. Pain. 1983;17(1):45–56.
    1. Cleland JA, Childs JD, Whitman JM. Psychometric properties of the Neck Disability Index and Numeric Pain Rating Scale in patients with mechanical neck pain. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation. 2008;89(1):69–74. 10.1016/j.apmr.2007.08.126
    1. Kongsved SM, Basnov M, Holm-Christensen K, Hjollund NH. Response Rate and Completeness of Questionnaires: A Randomized Study of Internet Versus Paper-and-Pencil Versions. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2007;9(3):e25 10.2196/jmir.9.3.e25 PMC2047288.
    1. Sax LJ, Gilmartin SK, Bryant AN. Assessing response rates and nonresponse bias in web and paper surveys. Research in higher education. 2003;44(4):409–32.

Source: PubMed

Sponsoren und Mitarbeiter

Krankheiten

Drogeninterventionen

3
Abonnieren