IMPACT OF STRUCTURED STRETCHING PROGRAM ON CERVICAL PAIN AND POSTURE AMONG SMARTPHONE USERS

Background: Smartphone use has become a routine part of academic and daily life, particularly among university students. Prolonged mobile phone use often encourages sustained neck flexion, poor posture, and repeated strain on cervical muscles, which may contribute to neck pain and functional limitation. Therapeutic stretching and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation are commonly used physiotherapy approaches for reducing muscle tightness and improving cervical mobility, but their comparative effectiveness among smartphone users requires further clinical attention. Objective: To compare the effects of stretching exercises and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation techniques on pain intensity and neck disability among university students with neck pain associated with smartphone use. Methods: This single-blinded comparative experimental study was conducted among university students from medical science departments at Government College University Faisalabad over six months. A total of 80 participants aged 18–30 years with neck pain and smartphone use of at least six hours per day were recruited through convenience sampling and randomly allocated into two equal groups. Group A received structured cervical stretching exercises, while Group B received proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation techniques for eight weeks. Pain intensity was measured using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale, and neck-related disability was assessed through the Neck Disability Index at baseline and after intervention. Data were analyzed using SPSS, with within-group and between-group comparisons performed after normality testing. Results: Among 80 participants, 28 were aged 18–20 years and 52 were aged 21–23 years. Each group included 6 males and 34 females. In Group A, mean pain decreased from 1.45 ± 0.60 to 0.78 ± 0.83, while mean disability decreased from 25.35 ± 10.14 to 13.60 ± 7.66. In Group B, mean pain decreased from 2.00 ± 0.91 to 0.60 ± 0.71, while mean disability decreased from 37.05 ± 15.02 to 12.75 ± 5.85. Between-group analysis showed significant post-treatment differences for NPRS and NDI scores, with p = 0.001. Conclusion: Both interventions improved cervical pain and neck disability among smartphone-using university students, but proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation produced greater improvement than stretching exercises. PNF may be considered a useful physiotherapy option for managing smartphone-associated neck pain and functional limitation. Keywords: Cell Phone; Disability Evaluation; Exercise Therapy; Neck Pain; Posture; Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation; Students.