The Impact Of Smartphone Addiction On Forward Head Posture And Shoulder Mobility Among Young Adults - A Case Control Study

Abstract

Background: Excessive smartphone use imposes physical and musculoskeletal strains, users often flex their necks and wrists for prolonged periods and repetitively use their fingers, leading to cervical spine problems, forward head posture and pain in the neck, shoulders, wrists and thumbs. Recent mechanistic evidence also suggests that near maximal head angles (>~40°) may trigger the cervical flexion-relaxation phenomenon, potentially aggravating neck issues by shifting load from active musculature to passive structures.

Aim of this study: To find the impact of smartphone addiction on forward head posture and shoulder mobility among young adults. Specifically, the study seeks to examine whether smartphone addiction is related to forward head posture and shoulder mobility.

Method: 18-25 aged 206 eligible participants who met the inclusion criteria were categorized into case and control groups of 103 each. Demographic data of participants were recorded. Outcome measures of degree of FHP, both right and left shoulder mobility with SAS scores were recorded for further data analysis. Data was analysed by student‘t’ test and c² – tests Microsoft Excel for windows.

Results: Participants with high SAS scores (12.5) in case group showed significantly lower degree of FHP (15.46), right and left shoulder mobility when compared to participants in control group who have relatively lower SAS scores with p≤0.001***.

Conclusion: This study concluded that high use of smartphone (SAS) had highly statistically significant reduction in degrees of FHP, right and left shoulder joint mobility in 18-25 years of young adults when compared to control group of young adults were using comparatively less usage of smartphones.