ReviewHealthcare (Basel, Switzerland)2023
Neck and Upper Extremity Musculoskeletal Symptoms Secondary to Maladaptive Postures Caused by Cell Phones and Backpacks in School-Aged Children and Adolescents.
Review in Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06108752 (Comparative Effect of Scapular Stabilization Versus Thoracic Extension Exercises on Pain, Disability, Range of Motion, and Craniovertebral Angle in Young Adults With Text Neck Syndrome.), which is not on this map. Cited by 24 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Comparative Effect of Scapular Stabilization Versus Thoracic Extension Exercises on Pain, Disability, Range of Motion, and Craniovertebral Angle in Young Adults With Text Neck Syndrome.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.
- Hand injuries associated with mobile phone use: A systematic review.Work (Reading, Mass.) · 2026Pooled it
- Effect of Global Postural Re-Education in Individuals With Text Neck Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapy · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Effects of 12 weeks of fascia knife release therapy in combination with exercise for treating neck and shoulder pain in adolescent table tennis players.Frontiers in public health · 2025Trial
- Differences in Distance Perception and Balance in Female Students with and without Upper Crossed Syndrome: A Comparative Study.International journal of school health · 2026Article
- Factors associated with musculoskeletal pain in the spinal column of children and adolescents: a cross-sectional study with network analysis.Revista paulista de pediatria : orgao oficial da Sociedade de Pediatria de Sao Paulo · 2026Article
- Smartphone gaming while walking increases visual fatigue compared with standing.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Walking Speed Modulates Neck-Shoulder Strain During Smartphone Use with Backpack Load.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Article
- Gender-specific biomechanical effects of smartphone use with backpack load during standing and walking.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Predictors of Static Postural Loading in Primary-School-Aged Children: Comparing Elastic Net and Multiple Regression Methods.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Body posture aftereffects-does viewing slouched bodies change people's perception of normal posture?Royal Society open science · 2025Article
- Physiotherapy in Text Neck Syndrome: A Scoping Review of Current Evidence and Future Directions.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Evaluating Tech Neck: A Pilot Study Using a Self-Developed Questionnaire on Symptoms, Posture, and Preventive Measures.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Associations of time spent on different types of digital media with self-rated general and mental health in Swedish adolescents.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- University Students' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Cervical Spine Health.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2025Article
- Eyestrains among smartphone users while watching videos in Taipei MRT carriages: a comparison between sitting and standing postures.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Prevalence of spine pain among Tunisian children and adolescents and related factors.Pediatric rheumatology online journal · 2024Article
- Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Technology is an essential part of our lives. Nowadays, it is almost impossible to leave the house without a cell phone. Despite the wide range of benefits of cell phones and handheld electronic devices, this evolution of technology has not come without a price. The pandemic of cell phone use among children and young adolescents has led to the emergence of a set of musculoskeletal (MSK) symptoms that have not been seen before in this age group. These symptoms can range from neck and shoulder discomfort to pain, peripheral neurological symptoms of the upper extremity, and long-term complications such as disk prolapse and degenerative disk disease of the cervical spine. This clinical presentation is known as "text neck syndrome." In addition to MSK symptoms, text neck syndrome could also include eye and ear symptoms, psychological problems, peripheral neurological symptoms, and poor academic performance. Multiple mechanisms have been discussed by which cell phone use causes MSK symptoms. Maladaptive postures, a decrease in physical activity leading to obesity, and the direct effect of electromagnetic radiation are some of the mechanisms by which long-term use of cell phones leads to the clinical presentation of text neck syndrome and its long-term consequences. The purpose of this article is to review the literature, discuss the epidemiology of cell phone use and MSK symptoms associated with its use in children and adolescents, describe its clinical presentation, explain the pathophysiology behind it, and provide preventative guidelines that can be used by this age group to allow for the continued use of these electronics without harmful effects on their posture and long-term health.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.