The association between mobile phone and computer use and pain, disability, neck posture and psychological state with neck pain

Neck pain is a common musculoskeletal problem that affects individuals' productivity and quality of life and increases countries' healthcare expenditures. Due to its significant social and economic burden, neck pain is not only an individual problem but also a public health issue. It is more common in women than in men. Smartphones are a new generation of mobile phones that have rapidly entered our lives and are used by the majority of the population. These devices have become a part of not only our daily lives but also our work lives. Due to individuals' excessive use of these devices, the concept of phone addiction has been introduced, inspired by the concept of internet addiction. Although these devices bring many conveniences into our lives, they also bring some problems. In recent years, the relationship between smartphone use and musculoskeletal problems has become a topic of interest. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between mobile phone and computer use, pain, disability, head-neck posture, and psychological status in patients with neck pain. Between June 2022 and March 2023, 180 patients between the ages of 18-45 who applied to the Dicle University Faculty of Medicine Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation outpatient clinic and met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in our study. 108 healthy volunteer participants who used smartphones and computers, aged 18-45, and did not have neck pain were included in the control group. In the patient group, 44.4% were male and 55.6% were female, while in the control group, 45.4% were male and 54.6% were female. There was no significant difference in terms of gender between the groups (p=0.584). The mean age of the patient group was 29.8±8.1 years, while the mean age of the control group was 29.4±6.2 years, and there was no significant difference in terms of age between the groups. The rate of back and waist pain in patients (83.9%) was significantly higher than in the control group (53.7%) (p<0.001) (Table 6). There was a positive correlation between smartphone addiction scale (SAS) score, neck VAS, back, waist VAS, daily phone usage time, and phone usage amount in all participants; and a negative correlation between SAS score and age (Table 13). There was a significant positive correlation between neck VAS score and back/waist VAS score, daily computer usage time, and computer usage amount (Table 14). Patients' daily computer usage time (p=0.029) and computer usage amount (p=0.01) were significantly higher than those in the control group. In conclusion, neck pain is a significant public health problem that is prevalent in society, affects individuals' productivity, and leads to considerable healthcare expenditures.