Is cell phone use associated with neck pain and disability in skills of daily activities in young adults?

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Some authors correlate incorrect head and neck postures during cell phone use with cervical pain. The objective, therefore, is to correlate the constant use of cell phones with discomfort in the cervical region and the repercussion on daily activities in college students. METHODS: Cross-sectional study carried out between July 2019 and March 2020 using the questionnaires “Smartphone Addiction Inventory Instrument”, “Neck Disability Index” and “Young Spine Questionnaire”, and also a questionnaire about demographic and socioeconomic data. The nutritional status of the participants was also evaluated and the degree of anteriorization of the head was measured in relation to the spinous process of the seventh cervical. RESULTS: The average age of the participants was 18.47±0.65 years. There was a significant statistical association between Smartphone dependence and cervical pain, and adolescents with Smartphone use dependency had the highest percentages of doctor visits for cervical pain. There was no association between smartphone dependence and absence from school or not playing sports due to pain in the spine; nutritional status; the angle of the neck and the father or mother having pain in the spine. Students with smartphone use dependency had the highest percentages of mild to moderate disability in the skills of daily activities. CONCLUSION: Dependence on cell phone use, in this study, is related to cervical pain and disability in the skills of daily activities.