Study on the Effect of Cervical Spine Somatosensory Games of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality on Relieving Neck Muscle Fatigue

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore whether virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) cervical somatosensory games can effectively alleviate neck discomfort caused by mobile phones. If validation was effective, the effect of VR and AR games on neck muscle fatigue alleviation was compared. Twenty-four healthy adults between ages 19 and 25 participated in the study. Experiment 1 was to verify the fatigue of neck and shoulder muscles caused by long-term use of mobile phones. Experiment 2 explored whether the VR game and the AR game have an impact on neck muscle fatigue and compared the degree of influence. The integrated electromyography (IEMG) and median frequency (MF) of the upper trapezius, splenius cervical muscles, and sternocleidomastoid muscles were collected. Experiment 1 showed that the MF of some muscles of the participants of both the VR group and the AR group decreased with time, while the IEMG of some muscles increased with time. Experiment 2 showed that the MF of some muscles of the participants of both the VR group and the AR group showed an upward trend, while the IEMG of some muscles showed a downward trend. There were significant differences between experiment 1 and experiment 2 (P < 0.05). The results of the subjective evaluation scale of neck muscle fatigue filled in by the participants were consistent with the experimental results, which showed that both the VR group and the AR group could feel the cervical relief, and the VR game could better alleviate the neck and shoulder muscle fatigue.