Neck Pain Prevalence Among Adults Using Smartphones
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59994/ajamts.2026.1.1Keywords:
Neck Pain, Smartphones, Adults, Neck Disability Index, Visual Analogue Scale, PalestineAbstract
Neck pain (NP) is a significant public health problem globally and a common complaint among adults, leading to physical, social, and economic burdens. With the rapid increase in smartphone ownership, long hours of daily use and static head flexion postures have become major contributing risk factors for cervical musculoskeletal disorders. The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of smartphone usage on neck pain prevalence and intensity among adult smartphone users in Palestine. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 61 adult smartphone users in Palestine. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire covering demographic profiles, daily usage habits, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain assessment, and the Neck Disability Index (NDI) for functional evaluation. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 23, applying independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and post-hoc Tukey tests at a significance level of α = 0.05. Among the 61 participants, 73.8% reported suffering from neck pain. There was no statistically significant association between neck pain level and gender (p = 0.149) or Body Mass Index (BMI) (p = 0.424). Conversely, significant associations were observed between neck pain levels and age (p = 0.046), daily time spent using the smartphone (p = 0.001), and NDI functional scores (p = 0.001). Statistical analysis revealed that the strongest predictors of neck pain were the daily duration of phone use and the NDI score. Among adult smartphone users, 73.8% experience neck pain. While gender and BMI show no direct relationship with neck pain intensity, increased daily usage duration, younger adult age, and higher NDI disability scores strongly correlate with greater neck pain severity.
References
[1] S. P. Cohen and W. M. Hooten, "Advances in the diagnosis and management of neck pain," BMJ, vol. 358, p. j3221, 2017.
[2] C. V. D. S. Genebra, N. M. Maciel, T. P. F. Bento, S. F. A. P. Simeão, and A. de Vitta, "Prevalence and factors associated with neck pain: A population-based study," Braz. J. Phys. Ther., vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 274–280, 2017.
[3] B. Peng and M. J. DePalma, "Cervical disc degeneration and neck pain," J. Pain Res., vol. 11, pp. 2853–2857, 2018.
[4] J. Rodríguez-Sanz, A. Carrasco, S. Cabanillas-Barea, et al., "Validity and reliability of two smartphone applications to measure the lower and upper cervical spine range of motion in subjects with chronic cervical pain," J. Back Musculoskelet. Rehabil., vol. 32, pp. 619–627, 2019.
[5] J. D. Bier, W. G. M. Scholten-Peeters, J. B. Staal, et al., "Clinical practice guideline for physical therapy assessment and treatment in patients with nonspecific neck pain," Phys. Ther., vol. 98, no. 3, pp. 162–171, 2018.
[6] B. A. Frost, S. Camarero-Espinosa, and E. J. Foster, "Materials for the spine: Anatomy, problems, and solutions," Materials, vol. 12, no. 2, p. 253, 2019.
[7] N. F. Mahmoud, K. A. Hassan, S. F. Abdelmajeed, I. M. Moustafa, and A. G. Silva, "The relationship between forward head posture and neck pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis," Curr. Rev. Musculoskelet. Med., vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 562–577, 2019.
[8] J. D. Elhai, R. D. Dvorak, J. C. Levine, and B. J. Hall, "Problematic smartphone use: A conceptual overview and systematic review of relations with anxiety and depression psychopathology," J. Affect. Disord., vol. 207, pp. 251–259, 2017.
[9] A. C. Eitivipart, S. Viriyarojanakul, and L. Redhead, "Musculoskeletal disorder and pain associated with smartphone use: A systematic review of biomechanical evidence," Hong Kong Physiother. J., vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 77–90, 2018.
[10] E. Gustafsson, S. Thomée, A. Grimby-Ekman, and M. Hagberg, "Texting on mobile phones and musculoskeletal disorders in young adults: A five-year cohort study," Appl. Ergon., vol. 58, pp. 208–214, 2017.
[11] H. Kim, M. K. Cho, H. Ko, J. E. Yoo, and Y. M. Song, "Association between smartphone usage and mental health in South Korean adolescents," Korean J. Fam. Med., vol. 41, pp. 98–104, 2020.
[12] S. Y. Lee, D. H. Lee, and S. K. Han, "The effects of posture on neck flexion angle while using a smartphone according to duration," J. Korean Soc. Phys. Med., vol. 11, pp. 35–39, 2016.
[13] S. Namwongsa, R. Puntumetakul, M. S. Neubert, S. Chaiklieng, and R. Boucaut, "Ergonomic risk assessment of smartphone users using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) tool," PLoS ONE, vol. 13, no. 8, p. e0203394, 2018.
[14] D. A. Delgado, B. S. Lambert, N. Boutris, et al., "Validation of digital Visual Analog Scale pain scoring with a traditional paper-based Visual Analog Scale in adults," JAAOS Glob. Res. Rev., vol. 2, no. 3, p. e088, 2018.
[15] J. A. Cleland, J. M. Fritz, J. M. Whitman, and J. A. Palmer, "The reliability and construct validity of the Neck Disability Index and Patient Specific Functional Scale in patients with cervical radiculopathy," Spine, vol. 31, no. 5, pp. 598–602, 2006.
[16] J. C. MacDermid, D. M. Walton, S. Avery, et al., "Measurement properties of the Neck Disability Index: A systematic review," J. Orthop. Sports Phys. Ther., vol. 39, no. 5, pp. 400–417, 2009.
[17] F. K. Abdullah, F. U. Syed, S. G. Hassan, F. K. Ahsan, and W. Alia, "Are you suffering pain neck due to smart phone text neck syndrome," Pak. J. Med. Health Sci., vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 1095–1097, 2018.
[18] A. C. Odole, D. A. Olutoge, O. Awosoga, C. E. Mbada, and C. Fatoye, "Musculoskeletal pain and postural abnormalities among smartphone-using digital natives," J. Musculoskelet. Disord. Treat., vol. 6, p. 089, 2020.
[19] S. H. Toh, P. Coenen, E. K. Howie, et al., "A prospective longitudinal study of mobile touch screen device use and musculoskeletal symptoms and visual health in adolescents," Appl. Ergon., vol. 85, p. 103028, 2020.
[20] A. P. V. Abdon, R. Mesquita, L. K. S. Magalhães, et al., "Prevalence of smartphone addiction and associated factors in Brazilian adults," World J. Adv. Res. Rev., vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 202–211, 2020.
[21] F. Al-Hadidi, I. Bsisu, S. A. AlRyalat, et al., "Association between mobile phone use and neck pain in university students: A cross-sectional study using numeric rating scale for evaluation of neck pain," PLoS ONE, vol. 14, no. 5, p. e0217231, 2019.
[22] E. Thorburn, R. Pope, and S. Wang, "Musculoskeletal symptoms among adult smartphone and Table t device users: A retrospective study," Arch. Physiother., vol. 11, p. 1, 2021.
[23] S. Ahmed, R. Akter, N. Pokhrel, and A. J. Samuel, "Prevalence of text neck syndrome and SMS thumb among smartphone users in college-going students: A cross-sectional survey study," J. Public Health, pp. 1–6, 2019.
[24] J. I. Lee and H. S. Song, "The correlation analysis between hours of smartphone use and neck pain in the Gachon University students," Acupuncture, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 99–109, 2014.
[25] E. Zirek, R. Mustafaoglu, Z. Yasaci, and M. D. Griffiths, "A systematic review of musculoskeletal complaints, symptoms, and pathologies related to mobile phone usage," Musculoskelet. Sci. Pract., vol. 49, p. 102196, 2020.
[26] B. K. AlZarea and S. R. Patil, "Mobile phone head and neck pain syndrome: Proposal of a new entity," Headache, vol. 251, p. 63, 2015.
[27] A. De Vitta, J. P. Candido, T. Bento, et al., "Neck pain and factors associated in university students: A cross sectional study," Ciênc. Mov., vol. 22, no. 43, pp. 89–101, 2020.
