Frequency of Posture Related Neck Pain Among Medical Students: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Background: Poor posture and bad working environment ergonomics are the common causes of advancement in cervical pain. Acute neck pain is abrupt, intense pain and it typically subsides within days or weeks. Chronic neck pain felt most of the time and last for more than 3 months. Objective: To determine the frequency of posture related neck pain among medical students and to explore the association between neck pain and posture adopted while using laptop and mobile phone. Methodology: The study was carried out in medical colleges of Rawalpindi and Islamabad from March to August 2021.A total of 106 medical students were included in the study. A questionnaire was administered to obtain information about demographic characteristics, pain intensity (Numeric Pain Rating Scale NPRS) and postural adaptation (Modified student laptop use and neck pain risk questionnaire) while using laptop and mobile phone. SPSS 23 was used for data analysis. Results: A total of 106 participants were selected in the study out of which 86(80.1%) were females and 18(18.9%) were males. The overall mean age was (21.83±1.96) years. The frequency of posture related neck pain was 51(48.1%). The most adopted posture during use of laptop and mobile phone was neck flexion and p-value was 0.00. Conclusion: The frequency of posture related neck pain was high among medical students. The major risk factor was poor posture and prolonged use of laptop and mobile phone.

Keywords

• posture, cervical pain, modified student laptop use and neck pain risk questionnaire), numeric pain rating scale.