Musculoskeletal Pain, Musculoskeletal Syndromes, And Digital Media in Public School Adolescents

Background/Aim: To assess digital media use, musculoskeletal pain and syndromes in adolescents and young adults from a public school. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study included 386 healthy adolescents that completed a questionnaire including demographic data, musculoskeletal pain, physical activity, and media use. The following musculoskeletal pain syndromes and repetitive strain injuries were investigated in students who reported musculoskeletal pain in the last three months: juvenile fibromyalgia, joint hypermobility syndrome, myofascial syndrome, tendinitis, bursitis, and epicondylitis. Results: Inter-rater agreement between pretest and retest was 0.93. Musculoskeletal pain and syndrome were identified in 245/386(63%) and 55/245(23%), respectively. The median age was significantly higher in adolescents with musculoskeletal pain compared to those without this condition (14.69[11.9-22.5] vs. 14.41[10-18.8] years, p=0.018). The frequencies of computer use after 10pm (48% vs. 30%, p<0.001), internet use on weekends (6 hours [0-20] vs. 4[0-22],p=0.043), mobile phone use on weekends(8 hours[0-20] vs. 5[0-22], p=0.002), and mobile phone use after 10pm(83% vs. 69%, p=0.001) were significantly higher in the former group. Further comparisons between adolescents with and without musculoskeletal pain syndromes showed that female gender was significantly higher in the former group (74% vs. 27%, p<0.001). The internet use on weekdays (10 hours [0-24] vs. 5[0-20], p<0.001) was also significantly higher in adolescents with musculoskeletal syndrome. Conclusion: Musculoskeletal pain was reported in approximately two-thirds of adolescents from a public school, and musculoskeletal syndromes occurred in one-quarter. Students with musculoskeletal pain were older and reported relevant use of digital media, while adolescents with musculoskeletal syndromes were predominantly female and reported important internet use on weekdays.