Abstract
The prevalence of neck and shoulder pain (NSP) is increas-ing in adolescents and is related to increased time spent on computers.The influence of sitting posture on the development of computer-relatedNSP among adolescents is unclear. This study investigated how the sittingposture of the upper quadrant changes over a ten minute period ofcomputer use in once asymptomatic adolescents who later developed NSP.M ethod: Sitting alignment was measured using the Photographic PostureA nalysis Method. The students performed a typing task while two con -secutive photographs were taken ten minutes apart. The students werefollowed for six months and the photographs of those who developed NSPw ere analy z ed.R esults: The results show that there is no significant change in sitting posture over time. Observationally the most common pattern was to move from a more flexed posture to a more upright posture and there were greater posturalchanges in the case group (students with extreme cervical angles) compared to the control group (students with thepreferred cervical ROM (34.75º - 43.95º)), although both findings were not statistically significant.Conclusion: There was no change, over a ten minute period, in the sitting posture of computing high school studentswho developed computer-related NSP after six months therefore students should be encouraged to avoid monotonoussitting in front of computers because this could be associated with NSP.
Highlights
Musculoskeletal symptoms of pain, discomfort or stiffness are becoming a common health complaint among adolescents
There was no change, over a ten minute period, in the sitting posture of computing high school students who developed computer-related neck and shoulder pain (NSP) after six months students should be encouraged to avoid monotonous sitting in front of computers because this could be associated with NSP
Sample description At six months post baseline, 27 out of 104 students developed NSP over the previous months that were related to seated activities such as sitting behind a computer or school desk
Summary
Musculoskeletal symptoms of pain, discomfort or stiffness are becoming a common health complaint among adolescents. The monthly prevalence rates for adolescent NSP can be up to 30% (Diepenmaat et al 2006; Smith et al 2008a; Straker et al 2008a). A recent study conducted among high school students of the Western Cape found a neck pain prevalence of 20% (Smith et al 2008a). Posture has become an important component of the physical risk factors associated with computerrelated musculoskeletal pain among adults (Straker et al 2008b; Szeto et al 2005). There is no published literature that has investigated the association between sitting postures while using computers and NSP among adolescents (Straker et al 2008a). It is generally assumed that sitting with a neutral spinal posture will be beneficial to the musculoskeletal structures and reduce musculoskeletal pain symptoms (Barrero and Hedge 2002). Straker et al (2008c), have found that when adolescents use desktop computers their sitting posture resembles a neutral spinal posture better
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