Acute Pain, Neck Extensor Endurance, and Kinematic Changes Resulting from Sustained Neck Flexion during Smartphone Use

Abstract

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONS The National Occupational Research Agenda for Musculoskeletal Health in the United States identified that with the changing nature of the traditional office environment, mobile devices are now frequently used for longer durations, warranting research on the impacts of mobile computing on musculoskeletal health. A recent study of office workers showed that those with “smartphone overuse” were six times more likely to report neck pain. Working in pain may also result in withdrawal and less proactive extra-role behaviors at work (such as making recommendations at work and willing to help colleagues). We found that 30-minutes of mobile device use resulted in pain reporting in the neck and upper back when the device was used with neck flexion. This musculoskeletal pain could lead to acute concerns during the workday and long-term problems over time.