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

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 scaleshort 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.