Athletes and non-athletes adolescents’ use of smart phones duration, habits and relationship between the upper cross syndrome

Abstract

Introduction. Nowadays, teenagers and children can use the phone anywhere, anytime, so the smartphone and bone systems of smart phone users can be overloaded by long-term use without changing position (1). Continuous load changes the curvature of the neck bones, which causes the upper cross syndrome due to a muscle model imbalance, muscle fatigue, which later causes a rounded shoulder posture and promote repetitive use of certain muscles, resulting in muscle fiber injury, cumulative damage from acute trauma, and myogenic tonus, which occur most often in the neck and shoulders (1, 2, 3). Research aim. To determine the relationship between the duration and habits of using a smartphone of athletes and non-athletes adolescents. Research methods and organization. This study was approved by the Bioethics Center of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. The study was organized between March 2019 and June at the “X” School and Kaunas University of Technology. The study involved students aged from 15 to 18 years old (n = 27). According to the responses of the questionnaire, the subject were selected without any structural posture changes: athletes adolescents (sports: basketball, volleyball) engaged in sports for at least 1 year, 3 times a week; non-athletes adolescents (visiting Physical Education Lessons). Distribution of adolescents in groups: athletes - 15 teenagers: 7 boys and 8 girls and non-athletes: 12 teenagers: 8 boys and 4 girls. Age distribution in groups of athletes (16.60±0.24), non-athletes (17.92±0.15). The questionnaire was based on the authors of Guan and others (2015) and Kalirathin and others (2017) (4, 5). Head and neck angle measurement using the “Wall” test: The angle of the head and neck of the subjects was measured in a sagittal plane by measuring the distance between the neck and the wall (6). Tape Measure Method was used to evaluate cervical spine flexion and extension. The