Original Research Article
Year: 2022 | Month: February | Volume: 12 | Issue: 2 | Pages: 220-226
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijhsr.20220231
The Relationship between Addiction to Smartphone Usage and Protracted Shoulders, Forward Head Posture and Thoracic Kyphosis in College Students
Bhavika Bhalchandra Bomen1, Shweta Kulkarni2
1Intern, Department of Physiotherapy Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Pune, Maharashtra, India
2Associate Professor, Department of Physiotherapy, Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Pune, Maharashtra, India
Corresponding Author: Shweta Kulkarni
ABSTRACT
Background: A smartphone is an electronic device which functions as a communication tool that has various application features that can be installed by all users. While with increase in use of smart phones, concerns have also increased about musculoskeletal problems due to its prolonged use. This caused people to assume static posture for prolonged period, causing continuous contraction of shoulder, head and neck muscles. Recently because of COVID situation students need to attend online lectures, which caused increase in number of hours of smartphone usage which increases its addiction smartphone among adults causing increase in musculoskeletal problems. Hence there was need to study the incidence and the relationship between smartphone addiction and protracted shoulders, forward head posture and thoracic kyphosis to create awareness, predict the risk factors and to prevent postural problems.
Objective: To study the relationship between addiction to smartphone usage and protracted shoulders, forward head posture and thoracic kyphosis in college students
Methodology: Ethical clearance was taken from ethical committee. Accordingly, 40 samples aged 18-25 were collected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria in and around the college campus of Pune. Each one was assessed using the nomophobia questionnaire, tragus to wall test and the scapular index.
Result: The results concluded that the correlation co-efficient(r) between Nomophobia questionnaire and tragus to wall test was -0.05288 on the sample size 40 and the correlation coefficient of Nomophobia questionnaire and scapular index found to be 0.05142.
Conclusion: The result of the study concluded that the relationship between smartphone addiction and forward head posture, protracted shoulders and thoracic kyphosis is non-significant.
Key words: Smartphone, addiction, COVID, forward head posture, protracted shoulders, thoracic kyphosis.