Text neck and neck pain: attitudes and beliefs of physical therapists

Abstract

Introduction: Neck pain is the fourth leading cause of disability in the world, with considerable growth. In an attempt to justify this increase in prevalence, the association of the occurrence of this outcome with the postural habit during the use of the “smartphone” (the so-called “text neck”) has been proposed, since its use is increasingly ostensible in the population. However, evidence from recent crosssectional and longitudinal studies demonstrates that there is no such association. Objective: To analyze physical therapists' beliefs and attitudes when dealing with neck pain and "text neck" in clinical practice, both in the assessment and in the
therapeutic approach. Methods: This is a quantitative cross-sectional observational study, conducted through an online questionnaire. It was sent an invitation to physiotherapists who have permanent or temporary professional registration within the Brazilian territory. Specific questions were asked involving the degree of knowledge of the postural parameters of the "text neck" and on the approach based on the kinesiopathological/biomedical model. The chi-square goodness of fit test was used for univariate evaluation of the difference between the observed frequencies of each category, and the chi-square test of independence to assess the association between the variables of interest. Results: The final sample consisted of 402 physiotherapists. Univariate analysis indicates that the highest percentage of physiotherapists agree to assess postural parameters while using smart phones and treat based on this information, both in chronic and acute neck pain, in addition to treating based on the kinesipathological model in the two scenarios mentioned. It can be said that the results were similar in acute and chronic conditions. The bivariate
analysis demonstrates a significant association, with a large effect, between the corresponding categories of variables to assess postural parameters during cell phone use and treat based on this information (AP, p<0.001, Crammer's v 0.68; CP p<0.001,
v of Crammer 0.76). A significant association, with a moderate effect, was also found between treating based on the kinesiopathological model and treating based on postural parameters during cell phone use” (AP, p<0.001, Crammer's v 0.32; CP
p<0.001, Crammer’s v 0.40). Conclusion: Most physiotherapists approach patients with neck pain using the criteria associated with the “text neck”, quantifying angles and measurements associated with postural and functional parameters, using the kinesiopathological and biomedical models.