Association between home posture habits and neck pain in High School adolescents

Does sedentary behaviour cause spinal pain in children and adolescents? A systematic review with meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether sedentary behaviour is a risk or prognostic factor for spinal pain in children and adolescents. Specifically, to estimate the (1) direction and strength of the association; (2) risk of spinal pain onset and (3) effect on spinal pain prognosis.

DESIGN

Systematic review with meta-analysis.

DATA SOURCES

Electronic searches of MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and Web of Science up to 23 March 2023.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES

Reports estimating the effect of sedentary behaviour on spinal pain in young people (≤19 years).

RESULTS

We included 129 reports, 14 were longitudinal (n = 8 433) and 115 were cross-sectional (n > 697 590). We incorporated 86 studies into meta-analyses. (1) From cross-sectional data, we found low certainty evidence of a small positive association between sedentary behaviour and spinal pain (adjusted odds ratio 1.25 (95% CI 1.17 to 1.33), k = 44, n > 92 617). (2) From longitudinal data, we found low certainty evidence of no increased risk for the onset of spinal pain due to sedentary behaviour (adjusted risk ratio 1.07 (95% CI 0.84 to 1.35), k = 4, n = 1 292). (3) No studies assessed prognosis.

CONCLUSION

Cross-sectional data suggest minimally higher odds of spinal pain for children and adolescents who engage in greater sedentary behaviours. However, longitudinal data do not support a causal relationship, indicating that sedentary behaviour does not increase the risk for onset of spinal pain. Due to the low certainty of evidence, these findings must be interpreted with caution. We found no evidence of the effect sedentary behaviour has on spinal pain prognosis in children and adolescents, highlighting a considerable gap in the literature.

The prevalence of chronic pain in children and adolescents: a systematic review update and meta-analysis

ABSTRACT

Chronic pain, defined as persistent or recurring pain or pain lasting longer than 3 months, is a common childhood problem. The objective of this study was to conduct an updated systematic review and meta-analysis on the prevalence of chronic pain (ie, overall, headache, abdominal pain, back pain, musculoskeletal pain, multisite/general pain, and other) in children and adolescents. EMBASE, PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched for publications between January 1, 2009, and June 30, 2023. Studies reporting population-based estimates of chronic nondisease related pain prevalence in children or adolescents (age ≤ 19 years) were included. Two independent reviewers screened articles based on a priori protocol. One hundred nineteen studies with a total of 1,043,878 children (52.0% female, mean age 13.4 years [SD 2.4]) were included. Seventy different countries were represented, with the highest number of data points of prevalence estimates coming from Finland and Germany (n = 19 each, 4.3%). The overall prevalence of chronic pain in children and adolescents was 20.8%, with the highest prevalence for headache and musculoskeletal pain (25.7%). Overall, and for all types of pain except for back pain and musculoskeletal pain, there were significant differences in the prevalence between boys and girls, with girls having a higher prevalence of pain. There was high heterogeneity (I 2 99.9%). Overall risk of bias was low to moderate. In summary, approximately 1 in 5 children and adolescents experience chronic pain and prevalence varies by pain type; for most types, there is higher pain prevalence among girls than among boys. Findings echo and expand upon the systematic review conducted in 2011.

Assessment on Practicing Correct Body Posture and Determinant Analyses in a Large Population of a Metropolitan Area

An incorrect posture can generate stress of the spine and can be the cause of musculoskeletal disorders. Considering the extensive use of the computer, which worsens posture disorders, among workers, is important to analyze the phenomenon in order to reduce his impact on industry. The aim of this study is to assess determinants regarding posture in a large population of a metropolitan area. A total of 1177 questionnaires was analyzed. The majority of sample showed good knowledge and attitude regarding correct posture; most of the sample, 70.4% was aware of the definition of posture and 68.7% feel that not enough attention is paid at posture at workplace. Despite the good predisposition, only 2.8% of the sample consult a specialist for posture. The multiple linear regression analysis shows that those who have higher knowledge and best attitudes will consequently have good behaviors in maintaining a correct posture. Furthermore, age and education resulted main drivers of correct posture in any model considered. The results enlighten the necessity of conducting further studies to analyze attitudes of the general population and suggest improving educational and training programs to the enrichment of knowledge and to correct posture behaviors.

Musculoskeletal disorders in video gamers - a systematic review

Background

Video gaming is a recreational activity with yearly increasing popularity. It is mostly a sedentary behavior combined with repetitive movements of the upper limbs. If performed excessively, these movements may promote strain injuries and a sedentary lifestyle is one of the contributing factors to musculoskeletal disorders. Therefore, a systematic review was conducted to evaluate if video gaming negatively affects the musculoskeletal system of video gamers.

Methods

PubMed, Web of Science and The Cochrane Library were systematically searched in order to identify relevant peer reviewed original articles in English published between 2000 and 2021. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method was used for the analysis. Studies were included when they contained investigations of changes of the musculoskeletal system due to video gaming in healthy individuals. Studies with participants older than 60 years or solely psychological, social or cardiovascular outcomes were excluded. An adapted version of the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was used for the risk of bias analysis.

Results

Sixteen observational studies involving a total of 62,987 participants met the inclusion criteria. A majority (11) of the studies reported statistical negative musculoskeletal changes due to video game playtime. Four studies did not report changes and one study found no effect of video game playtime on the musculoskeletal system. Out of the eleven studies, which demonstrated a negative impact of video game playtime on the musculoskeletal system, the most reported painful body parts were the neck (n = 4), shoulder (n = 4) and back (n = 3). Ten studies reported odds ratios (OR) for the dependence of the appearance of musculoskeletal disorders on video game playtime. In eight studies OR were significantly increased (1.3—5.2).

Conclusion

Eleven out of twelve studies demonstrated a negative impact of video game playtime on the musculoskeletal system. In particular, excessive video game playtimes (> 3 h/day) seemed to be a predictor for the appearance of musculoskeletal disorders. Due to their great popularity across multiple generations, specific and tailored prevention and health promotion programs for video gamers need to be developed to counteract this important public health issue.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12891-022-05614-0.

Data mining-based detection of the clinical effect on motion style acupuncture therapy combined with conventional acupuncture therapy in chronic neck pain

BACKGROUND:

Neck pain is the most common symptom of cervical spondylosis.

OBJECTIVE:

To discuss the indications for conventional acupuncture therapy (CAT) and motion style acupuncture therapy (MSAT) combined with CAT in neck pain patients using data mining.

METHOD:

Seventy-six participants with neck pain were recruited and randomly divided into two paralleled groups. Participants in intervention group received two-course MSAT at Houxi (SI3) and CAT at local neck region, while the control group received CAT at neck only. Take the SF-36 score scale and pain pressure threshold (PPT) values as the raw data and use data-mining to evaluate the clinical effect of two treatments.

RESULT:

Both groups have the best effect after one-time and one-course treatment. The main factors influencing effect most are Role-Emotional (RE), Physical Functioning (PF) and Social Functioning (SF) in intervention group, while it transfers to General Health (GH), RE and SF in control group. To patients in intervention group who scores 41.70 to 68.70 in PF before treatment, MSAT can effectively improve the restriction of activities and play an analgesic effect; to patients in control group who score 56.09 to 66.09 in GH before treatment, CAT may have curative effect.

CONCLUSION:

Both MSAT and CAT can improve the life-quality of neck pain patients. Patients with high general health status before treatment can choose CAT, while patients who score mild to moderate decline in physiological function can choose MSAT combined with CAT.

Pain could negatively affect school grades - Swedish middle school students with low school grades most affected

Recurrent headache, abdominal and musculoskeletal pain are common in adolescents and it is therefore important to understand their impact on the transitional period from childhood to adulthood. However, studies of the prevalence over time and implications on educational outcomes are still limited, especially regarding multiple pain symptoms. The present study material consists of questionnaire surveys, completed in 2000 and 2008, including two study populations of 9th grade adolescents aged 15 living in West Sweden (n = 20 877). Pain symptoms and demographic variables were based on self-reports from the questionnaires, and school grades were obtained from Statistics Sweden after the student had finished their 9th grade. Between 2000 and 2008, the prevalence of abdominal pain increased among Swedish adolescents (largest increase in girls); the prevalence of headache increased only in girls; the prevalence of pain in upper body decreased only in boys. School grades were significantly lower among those with headache or abdominal pain. Among students with low school grades (10th percentile) the estimated difference between those having any of the symptoms or none were -27 school grade units (95% confidence interval for girls (-27.8; -26.0), for boys (-27.6; -25.5). Both symptoms being present pronounced the association. Low parental education increased the negative effect of symptoms on school grades, most pronounced in the group with the lowest grades. In conclusion, identification of pain symptoms may improve academic achievements, especially in students with multiple symptoms and with parents having low education. Further intervention studies are need.

Is Health-related Quality of Life Decreased in Adolescents With Back Pain?

STUDY DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the association between back pain and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among adolescents.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA

The prevalence of back pain has been increasing not only in the adult population but also among children and adolescents. The better knowledge about the association between back pain and health-related quality of life could facilitate the implementation of new intervention strategies on prevention and treatment of back pain.

METHODS

A sample of 350 students from the fifth to ninth grades of one public school in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Anthropometric measures and information regarding sociodemographic, lifestyle, frequency and intensity of neck (NP), thoracic (TP), and low back pain in the previous month were collected using a personal digital assistant. HRQoL was assessed by KIDSCREEN-27. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to investigate the association between back pain and HRQoL by sex.

RESULTS

The mean age of participants was 12.7 (±1.6) years. Frequency of NP, TP, and low back pain was 34.3, 27.1, and 13.1%, respectively. The mean intensity of pain was 2.3 (±0.2) for neck, 2.0 (±0.2) for thoracic, and 1.3 (±0.1) for low back pain. The presence of two/three painful sites was reported by 21.7% of the adolescents. The frequency and severity of neck pain were inversely associated with global HRQoL in both the sexes. There is a strong inverse association between the number of painful sites and global HRQoL and domains.

CONCLUSION

The presence and intensity of cervical pain and the number of painful regions were associated with lower HRQoL in adolescents, which is worrying due to the important relationship between back pain in the adolescence and in the adulthood.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

3.

Acupotomy Therapy for Chronic Nonspecific Neck Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective

This review is to assess the efficacy and safety of acupotomy therapy in chronic nonspecific neck pain.

Methods

We searched six computerised databases. Randomized controlled trials incorporating acupotomy therapy alone or combined with other conventional treatments for chronic nonspecific neck pain were included. Two reviewers screened each literature and extracted data independently according to Cochrane Reviews' Handbook (5.1). The Cochrane Collaboration's RevMan 5.3 software was applied for meta-analysis.

Results

A total of ten trials involving 433 patients were enrolled. The pooled analysis indicated that acupotomy therapy showed a significant improving short-term and long-term effect on effective rate and cure rate. Meta-analysis demonstrated that acupotomy therapy group was superior to control group in restoring cervical lordosis and debasing VAS score. The result of continuous data did not support statistical significance of acupotomy therapy in adjusting clinical symptom score. For adverse events, acupotomy group did not reveal obvious superiority compared to control group.

Conclusions

Acupotomy therapy may be beneficial to chronic nonspecific neck pain patients. To strengthen supportive evidence, future, more rigorously designed clinical trials, adequate adverse events, and follow-up project are recommended.