Comparative Analysis of Mobile versus Personal Computer Gaming on Neck Posture and Pain: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Increased screen time, especially for gaming, causes postural alterations such as rounded shoulders and Forward Head Posture (FHP) which can lead to neck pain. Altogether, this poor posture and screen time raise concerns about musculoskeletal issues. Mobiles and Personal Computers (PCs) are the main gaming devices; hence research into their different effects on posture and musculoskeletal health is necessary. Aim: To observe the difference between neck pain and Craniovertebral (CV) angle among PC and mobile gamers. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study conducted at Galgotias University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India, included 45 right-handed participants residing in hostels from September 2023 to December 2024. Based on primary gaming modality and screen usage frequency, participants were divided into three groups: group A (n=15) comprised PC gamers and group C (n=15) comprised mobile gamers and group B (n=15) comprised non-gamers. Participants in group A and group C underwent 30-minute gaming sessions daily for one week with a 6-day habituation period to minimise adaptation effects. Final data collection was performed on the 7th day to obtain stable postural responses. During the 30-minute gaming session on 7th day, lateral photographs were captured every five minutes to assess CV and thoracic angles using MB RULER software. Markers for anatomical reference were placed at the tragus, C7, and thoracic vertebrae. The Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) was used to assess neck pain. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27.0 was utilised for data analysis. groups were compared using One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and correlations were assessed with Pearson correlation, considering a p-value <0.05 as statistically significant. Results: The average age of the participants were 20.78±0.72 years and a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 24.87±4.61. Non-gamers had the most favourable CV angle (47.46°±1.63), compared to PC gamers (44.70°±1.13) and mobile gamers (42.76°±0.75), with the differences being statistically significant (p<0.001**). Similarly, non-gamers reported the lowest neck pain score (1.5±0.45), compared to 6.87±0.77 in PC gamers and 7.01±0.63 in mobile gamers (p<0.001**). No statistically significant difference in pain was observed between the two gaming groups (p=0.74) There was a positive correlation between the gaming duration and the deviation in the CV angle (r=0.72, p<0.001**) and with the level of pain experienced (r=0.65, p<0.001**) which were statistically significant. Conclusion: According to the present study results,Mobile devices are not suitable for gaming because they put more strain