Factors Affecting Neck Posture in Academicians With Non-specific Neck Pain

Chronic non-specific neck pain is one of the most important common musculoskeletal problem which has considerable impact on personal and financial costs. Because of physical work factors, neck pain is significantly associated with holding the neck in a prolonged forward posture and performing repetitive movements.

Proper posture is defined as a musculoskeletal balance which involves a minimal amount of stress and strain on the body. Postural assessment is one of the most important parts of the physical examination process. Although correct posture is desired, many people do not exhibit good posture.

Forward head posture(FHP) is the most common cervical postural fault in the sagittal plane that is found with different severity levels in almost all populations.

One of the most common postural disorders in the neck and shoulder girdle occurs when the position of the head is displaced to forward relation to the point of support, which is called forward head posture (FHP). The craniovertebral angle (CVA) is a widely used method for the objective measurement of FHP severity. A smaller CVA indicated a greater FHP and a CVA less than 48-50 is defined as FHP .

It has been reported that approximately 61.3% of adults who work using a computer and have neck pain have an anterior tilt posture of the head. This postural disorder is caused by various factors like sleeping with the head too high, prolonged computer use, weak back muscles, etc. In recent years, the widespread use of computers in offices has caused people to use their personal computers too much in their daily life. These changes can cause a bad posture and accompanying neck pain.

Long-term work in front of a computer requires a static posture of the upper body. To maintain the static posture, the neck, shoulder and upper extremity muscles are overloaded and consequently injured. Uncomfortable posture, especially depending on the viewing angle of the screen and the position of the chair and table, can shorten soft tissues and cause muscle tension, weakness and muscle fatigue. Some researchers reported that the muscle tension and stress that occurs in shortened structures, this condition can cause pain and this can develop a vicious cycle of muscle tension-pain-increased tension-increased pain.

From the point of view of biomechanics, FHP causes changes in the muscle tendon unit length of the cervical extensors and flexors and the atlanto-occipital joint.

The tendency to stay seated for long periods of time is increasing as is the percentage of the population that use a personal computer or smart phone.

This can cause changes in the alignment of the spine, leading to improper posture, such as a rounded shoulder or forward head posture (FHP) . The CVA is a widely used method for the objective measurement of FHP.

The cervical vertebra plays role in proprioceptive sensory input. The proprioceptive perception of the cervical vertebra carry information to correct malalignment and has an important role in postural control. It also reacts sensitively for proper movement of the head by acting in coordination with the sensory feedback from the vestibular system.

FHP can produce problems such as increasing stress on the posterior cervical elements, restriction in range of cervical motion, muscular activity level and impair cervical proprioception.

Academicians may have to be standing position for a long time, use a computer in a static posture, and work in a stressful mood caused by academic progress anxieties.

Accordingly, in a study the academicians reported the upper back and neck regions, as most common musculoskeletal problems.

Researchers found that in academicians compared to other musculoskeletal pain the pattern and physical risk factors for neck pain was at the highest percentage.

To our knowledge, there is no study evaluating factors affecting neck posture in academicians with non-specific neck pain.

The aim of our study is to examine the relationship between neck posture and neck pain and the factors affecting neck posture among academicians.

Inclusion criteria

• suffering from chronic neck pain greater than 3 months' duration, participated in the study.

Exclusion criteria

• diagnosis of cervical radiculopathy or myelopathy and history of cervical and thoracic spine fracture or surgery.