Volume 26, Issue 128, October 2022

The prevalence of neck pain and low back pain among personal computer gamers in Saudi Arabia

Mohammed Attiah¹, Ghalia Almutairi², Faisal Alnahdi², Husam Tamim², Lina Güneş³, Aqeel Alrashid⁴

¹Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Umm Al-Qura, Makkah, KSA
²Department of Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Umm Al-Qura, Makkah, KSA
³Department of Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Fakeeh College, Jeddah, KSA
⁴Department of Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of King Faisal, Al-Hassa, KSA

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Neck pain and low back pain are serious health concerns that affect both adults and children. Personal computer (PC) gamers Wasted a lot of time playing computer games. Therefore, they may be prone to increased neck and back pain. Aims: To determine the prevalence of neck and low back pain among PC gamers in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on PC gamers in Saudi Arabia using an online questionnaire distributed in Arabic from January 1st to 10th, 2022. The questionnaire collected data on socio-demographic characteristics, daily physical activity, neck pain disability, and low back pain disability. Results: This study included 389 PC gamers, 73.5% of whom were male. The most populated group included gamers from 18 to 25 years of age. 6.7% of the respondents played computer games for more than 10 hours per day, and 11.1% played computer games on 30 days per month. Regarding neck and back trauma, 10.3% reported previous neck injury, whereas 27.2% reported previous back injury. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates the significant association between increased hours of daily computer usage and increased pain in multiple body regions. The most important risk factors for pain are previous trauma to the neck or back, leaning forward while sitting in a chair, playing computer games for more than 10 hours per day, and playing computer games on 30 days per month. Thus, it is essential to raise awareness of the appropriate sitting position, importance of daily physical activity, and dangers of a sedentary lifestyle among PC gamers.

Keywords: Pain, neck, back pain, low, Saudi Arabia

Medical Science, 2022, 26, ms391e2420

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi/v26i128/ms391e2420

Published: 02 October 2022