Ann Rehabil Med.  2024 Aug;48(4):289-300. 10.5535/arm.230034.

Smartphone Usage and Postural Stability in Individuals With Forward Head Posture: A Nintendo Wii Balance Board Analysis

• Tapanya W
• Sangkarit N

• KMID: 2558735
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5535/arm.230034

Abstract

Objective
To assess postural stability, specifically center of body sway during single-leg standing balance, among individuals with and without forward head posture (FHP) during smartphone use.
Methods
The research recruited 53 healthy smartphone users, aged 18–25, and categorized them into FHP group comprising 26 subjects and the normal (control) group with 27 subjects. Participants were assigned the task of maintaining balance while engaged in smartphone typing during single-leg standing. The experiment involved four specific conditions according to neck posture and stable of surface. The study meticulously quantified body center of pressure (COP) sway amplitudes using the Nintendo Wii Balance Board.
Results
The research revealed that individuals with FHP exhibited significantly greater body sway compared to the control group when using smartphones. Notably, distinct variations were observed in path length sway, anteroposterior (AP), and mediolateral (ML) sway amplitude, particularly evident when maintaining flexed neck positions on a soft surface while engaged with smartphones.
Conclusion
These findings strongly suggest that individuals with FHP encounter deteriorated postural stability during smartphone use, particularly in challenging head positions.

Keyword

Postural Balance; Smartphones; Posturography; Head Posture; Center of Pressure

Figure

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  Fig. 1. The procedural flowchart for participant testing. FHP, forward head posture; NN_HS, neutral neck on hard surface; NN_SS, neutral neck on soft surface; FN_HS, flexed neck on hard surface; FN_SS, flexed neck on soft surface; COP, center of pressure.

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  Fig. 2. The angle of the craniovertebral (CV) junction was evaluated directly using a side-view photograph.

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  Fig. 3. The smartphone texting task performed during single-leg standing under various conditions. NN_HS, neutral neck on hard surface; NN_SS, neutral neck on soft surface; FN_HS, flexed neck on hard surface; FN_SS, flexed neck on soft surface.

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  Fig. 4. The comparative analysis of postural stability between the forward head posture (FHP) group and the normal group when utilizing a smartphone and maintaining single-leg stance in different positions. NN_HS, neutral neck on hard surface; NN_SS, neutral neck on soft surface; FN_HS, flexed neck on hard surface; FN_SS, flexed neck on soft surface; AP, anteroposterior; ML, mediolateral. *A significant difference between conditions at p-value<0.05. **A significant difference between conditions at p-value<0.01.

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  Fig. 5. An example of sway trajectories for participants in each group. (A, E) The neutral neck on hard surface (NN_HS) condition; (B, F) the flexed neck on hard surface (FN_HS) condition; (C, G) the neutral neck on soft surface (NN_SS) condition; and (D, H) the flexed neck on soft surface (FN_SS) condition. FHP, forward head posture.

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