Gender and posture are significant risk factors to musculoskeletal symptoms during touchscreen tablet computer use.
Szu-Ping Lee, Ya-Ting Hsu, Betina Bair and 2 others
PMID 29950780WHAT IT FOUND
Among tablet owners surveyed, 67.9% reported neck or shoulder symptoms while using the device.
Women and people sitting without back support were linked to greater likelihood.
Key findings
01Among 315 tablet owners, 67.9% reported neck or shoulder symptoms during use.
02In the adjusted model, women had 2.059 times higher odds of symptoms during tablet use than men (95% CI 1.211 to 3.502).
03In the adjusted model, sitting in a chair without back support was the only significant postural factor, with odds 2.231 times higher for symptoms during tablet use (95% CI 1.126 to 4.419).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it shows associations at one time point, not that tablet use caused symptoms. Participants reported their own tablet use, posture and symptoms, so answers may reflect recall or personal interpretation. The sample was limited to students, faculty, staff and alumni at a U.S. university, so it may not apply to other groups. There were more women than men, and the authors noted possible gender selection bias. The study did not control for tablet model, previous injury or exposure to other technology. The study was conducted before larger smartphones were common, so current device habits may differ. The analysis entered variables that were only borderline significant at the univariate level into the model, which can increase chance findings.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these results as proof that tablet computers cause neck or shoulder pain. The study was cross-sectional and self-reported, so it can show associations, but posture changes were not tested as treatment.