assessment of forward head posture among smartphone users in relation to their sleep quality

The twenty-first century is referred to as the era of information technology. Internet connectivity and wireless communication are amazing innovations that have transformed the communication industry. For instance, there were around 2.1 billion smartphone users globally in 2017 and it was anticipated that number will approach 2.8 billion by 2020. India is the second-largest Internet market after China, with more than 460 million users. India Had roughly 635.8 million internet users by 2021. The Internet serves as the foundation for smartphones, which offer many features such as social networking, gaming, surfing, blogs etc. Smartphone usage is growing due to their ease and vast range of features. Text neck, scholar’s neck, reading neck, and wearies neck are other names for Forward Head Posture (FHP). FHP is characterized by Increased extension of the upper cervical spine and decreased flexion of the lower cervical spine and upper thoracic area. Standing or sitting while using a phone in one hand and touching the screen with the other are the two most popular smartphone user positions. Standing or sitting while using a phone in one hand and touching the screen with the other are the two most popular smartphone user positions. When using a smartphone, people usually flex their neck downwards to stare at the lowered object and maintain the head in a forward position for long periods of time, which may cause musculoskeletal disorders, such as “upper crossed syndrome. Sleep is a mechanism for restoring the body and its functions and maintaining energy and health, and has renewing and replenishing effects both physically and emotionally. The night time sleeping posture is strongly related to the quality of sleep. The sleeping posture is related to musculoskeletal disorders of the shoulder or neck, as well as to headaches. Specifically, poor cervical posture during sleep, which is believed to increase biomechanical stresses on the structure of the cervical spine, can produce cervical pain and stiffness, headache, and scapular or arm pain, resulting in low-quality sleep. In the present Era, addiction towards gadget has been growing enormously and it has become field of concern specially in the younger population, the tendency to use various gadgets has become a craze, The addiction towards these gadgets has led to various behavioral issues, decreased interpersonal communication. When a person adapts Forward head posture, upper trapezius, sternocleidomastoid, and cervical extensor muscles goes for shortening. A study states that 4.5kgs extra load is taken by cervical spine even with a 1inch anterior positioning of head. Studies done on student population reveals that the Prevalence of Forward head posture in students who use smartphone is more (73%) and they further experience neck pain. Smartphone Addiction Scale short version (SAS-SV) is well validated questionnaire consisting of 10 questions. The SAS-SV validity was confirmed using SAS, SAPS & KS- Scale. PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX PSQI had internal consistency, internal homogeneity, and diagnostic characteristics that compared well with PSG among a sample of young adult male students in India. This supports the applicability and certain aspects of the validity of the PSQI in the population. The craniovertebral angle will be measured by instructing the participants to stand in an anatomical position with the head erect. The tripod and smartphone camera will be set 1m away from the participants. The landmarks (the tragus of the participants’ ear and the 7th cervical vertebrae) will marked clearly with adhesive markers; this will be done by instructing the participants to flex and extend their neck. The participants’ photographs will be taken laterally with a smartphone camera. (Sony IMX 766 sensor).The photographs will import into KINOVEA software by using a laptop. To measure the cranio-vertebral angle, then a diagonal line will draw through the tragus of the ear to the spinous process of the 7th cervical vertebrae.