Journal of Contemporary Medicine (Jan 2021)
Evaluation of the Relationship between Internet Addiction and the Thoracal Kyphosis Angle on Medical Faculty Students
Abstract
AIM: For the last 20 years, various problems caused by internet has brought attention to researchers. People who actively use the Internet can spend 40 to 80 hours per week on a computer or phone. Their sleep patterns, daily life and exercise habits change over time. These changes bring along some illnesses such as back pain, neck pain and carpal tunnel syndrome. Many of these ailments underlie postural disorders. The most common of these postural disorders is increased thoracic kyphosis. Our aim is to determine the effect of internet usage on thoracic kyphosis angle in healthy individuals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted our study in 322 (K = 152, E = 170) students who were educated at Sakarya University Medical Faculty. Internet usage questionnaire was applied to the participants to measure the level and duration of internet usage. Thoracic kyphosis angle measurement was done with Flexicurve device Statistical comparisons were made using SPSS software. RESULTS: In our study, the kyphosis angles of the participants varied between 21,067 degrees and 49,546 degrees. The average score of the questionnaire on internet usage was 32,508 (slightly dependent), while the average daily internet use was 200 minutes. When the questionnaire scores and kyphosis angle values were compared, the result was statistically significant (p: 0.016). CONCLUSION: It is important to identify and evaluate the negative effects of internet use on our posture. People should pay attention to internet usage times and body postures during use in order to protect their postures during internet use. Otherwise, there will be an increase in thoracic kyphosis angle with serious disorders in the posture.
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