The Effect of Prolonged Time of Tablet Usage on Postural Alignment in Children

Abstract

Background: Smart handheld devices are nowadays forming a great impact on people’s health. The prolonged use of these devices is known to be associated with musculoskeletal disorders in the upper limb. The aim of this study: was to examine the effect of prolonged usage of tablets on postural alignment in children.Methods: 60 female children,  their age ranged from 7 to 10 years, were participated in this study, and they were randomly divided equally into 2 groups according to the total interrupted time spent using the tablets, reported by their parents. Group (1) those who use tablets less than 3hours per day, and group (2) those who use tablets from 3 to 6 hours per day. Assessments and comparisons between the two groups were applied by using the bio photogrammetric postural analysis to measure the Craniovertebral angle (CVA), The Head tilt angle (HTA), Forward Shoulder Angle (FSA), Thoracic kyphotic angle (TKA), Lumbar lordotic angle (LLA) and Pelvic tilt angle (PTA).Results:The findings indicated significant differences between the examined groups regarding the CVA, HTA, FSA,TKA, while there were no significant differences could be recorded relative to LLA and PTA. Conclusion:Prolonged sitting posture for children who use tablets can produce postural alignment changes such as FHP, rounded shoulders and increased kyphosis with predicted other spinal changes at lumbar and pelvic regions and associated forward musculoskeletal disorders.Â