Assessment of Forward Head Posture and Ergonomics in Young IT Professionals - Reasons to Worry?

BACKGROUND:  Prolonged computer use and poor ergonomics among IT professionals are considered risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders. This research aims to analyze the degree of forward head posture and workplace ergonomics in young IT professionals to assess the risk for a neck disability. Methods: A prospective study was carried out by assessing the sitting posture at work, neck disability in the cervical region, quality of life, physical activity, and ergonomics of the workspace in 73 young IT professionals (32.56±5.46 years). Results: The score for the cervical functional disability index (NDI) showed a mild neck disability (8.19±7.51). The craniovertebral angle has an average value of 32.01±11.46, corresponding to a light forward head posture, and it positively correlated with age and work experience and negatively correlated with ROSA (r=0.24, p<0.05). The NDI positively correlated with physical activity (r =00.32 p<0.05) and with ROSA (r= 0.24, p<0.05). Conclusions: In IT professionals, neck disability is associated with the lack of workspace ergonomics and the amount of physical activity. Forward head posture correlated with age, work experience, and poor workspace ergonomics. According to our findings, there are real concerns about the influence of head posture and workplace ergonomics on health among IT professionals. We consider that it is necessary to adopt preventive measures to address neck disability and improve workspace ergonomics.

[Platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome secondary to pneumonia: Two cases]. / Syndrome platypnée-orthodéoxie secondaire à une pneumopathie : à propos de deux cas.

INTRODUCTION: The platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome is a rare situation characterized by the appearance of dyspnea and/or hypoxemia during the transition to orthostatism. OBSERVATIONS: We report the case of two patients, who presented with a platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome following pneumocystis pneumonia and COVID-19, revealing an intracardiac communication with a right-left shunt on contrast ultrasound. CONCLUSION: This syndrome can be detected easily at the bedside with positional maneuvers and the shunt demonstrated by a hyperoxia test. Non-reversible situations may require correction of the anatomical anomaly by transcatheter intervention or surgery.

Effect of Physiotherapy to Correct Rounded Shoulder Posture in 30 Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Korea Using a Telerehabilitation Exercise Program to Improve Posture, Physical Function, and Reduced Pain, with Evaluation of Patient Satisfaction.

BACKGROUND This study aimed to evaluate the effect of physiotherapy to correct rounded shoulder posture (RSP) in 30 patients during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea using telerehabilitation exercise programs to improve posture and physical function and reduce pain, with evaluation of patient satisfaction. MATERIAL AND METHODS Thirty participants with RSP participated in this study for 4 weeks from May to June 2021. Participants were randomly divided into an experimental group (EG, n=15) or control group (CG, n=15). Both groups performed shrug exercise 3 days a week for 4 weeks, while the EG performed self-upper-extremity neural mobilization (SUENM) for 7 more minutes. The pectoralis minor length index for posture, neck range of motion (ROM) and scapular muscle activity for physical function, pressure pain threshold (PPT) for pain, and questionnaires for telerehabilitation satisfaction were assessed. All exercises were conducted at home using videoconferencing. RESULTS The EG significantly improved PPT and ROM of extension and right-side bending of the neck compared to the CG (P<0.05) and it significantly reduced the muscle activity of the upper trapezius at 60°, 90°, and 120° shoulder flexion compared to the CG (P<0.05). In the satisfaction survey, participants cited the freedom of time and space as an advantage of telerehabilitation (100%) and reported difficulty in performing correct action as a disadvantage (69.2%). CONCLUSIONS These findings support those from recent studies on real-time telerehabilitation physiotherapy exercise programs. However, long-term controlled studies are required to develop evidence-based protocols for implementing and evaluating clinical outcomes of remote physiotherapy programs.

Prevalence of text neck posture, smartphone addiction, and its association with neck disorders among university students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The smartphone emerges as an inevitable gadget in modern society and its increased usage results in neck disorders among its users. However, the factors associated with neck disorders among smartphone users are ambiguous and less explored in the literature. The purpose of this research was to determine the prevalence of text neck posture, smartphone addiction/overuse, and its association with neck disorders among university students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 313 university students who were aged 18 years and older, owned a smartphone, and used it during the preceding 12 months participated in this cross-sectional study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data regarding the prevalence of text neck posture, smartphone addiction/overuse, neck disorders, and the level of physical activity. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the association between the prevalence of neck disorders and text neck posture, smartphone addiction/overuse, and level of physical activity. The 12 months prevalence of neck disorders due to smartphone use among the participants was found to be 46%. The neck disorders were more prevalent among participants who reported text neck posture (P < 0.001) and categorized as smartphone-addicted/overuse (P < 0.001). Measures to promote the awareness of healthy use of smartphones including postural education and to decrease its screen time are warranted to reduce neck disorders.

Relationships Between the Physical Work Environment, Postures and Musculoskeletal Pain During COVID-19: A Survey of Frequent Computer Users.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the flexible work practices during the COVID-19 pandemic and their impact on work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and depression in frequent computer users. METHODS: An e-survey determined the extent of workplace changes and MSD, and the relationships between them using descriptive-statistics and chi-squared tests. RESULTS: Of 700 who commenced the survey, 511 were analyzed. Since the pandemic commenced, 80% of respondents reported they were working more from home; and 89% reported some musculoskeletal pain. Compared with prepandemic, more people worked in nonergonomic environments, computer configurations and body postures. Work location was associated with upper back pain ( P = 0.011); body posture with headache ( P = 0.027) and low back pain ( P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Nonergonomic work environments of frequent computer users during COVID-19 are related to having upper back pain, whereas nonergonomic postures are related to having headache and low back pain.

Effectiveness of an intervention for reducing sitting time and improving health in office workers: three arm cluster randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention, with and without a height adjustable desk, on daily sitting time, and to investigate the relative effectiveness of the two interventions, and the effectiveness of both interventions on physical behaviours and physical, biochemical, psychological, and work related health and performance outcomes. DESIGN: Cluster three arm randomised controlled trial with follow-up at three and 12 months. SETTING: Local government councils in Leicester, Liverpool, and Greater Manchester, UK. PARTICIPANTS: 78 clusters including 756 desk based employees in defined offices, departments, or teams from two councils in Leicester, three in Greater Manchester, and one in Liverpool. INTERVENTIONS: Clusters were randomised to one of three conditions: the SMART Work and Life (SWAL) intervention, the SWAL intervention with a height adjustable desk (SWAL plus desk), or control (usual practice). MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: The primary outcome measure was daily sitting time, assessed by accelerometry, at 12 month follow-up. Secondary outcomes were accelerometer assessed sitting, prolonged sitting, standing and stepping time, and physical activity calculated over any valid day, work hours, workdays, and non-workdays, self-reported lifestyle behaviours, musculoskeletal problems, cardiometabolic health markers, work related health and performance, fatigue, and psychological measures. RESULTS: Mean age of participants was 44.7 years, 72.4% (n=547) were women, and 74.9% (n=566) were white. Daily sitting time at 12 months was significantly lower in the intervention groups (SWAL -22.2 min/day, 95% confidence interval -38.8 to -5.7 min/day, P=0.003; SWAL plus desk -63.7 min/day, -80.1 to -47.4 min/day, P<0.001) compared with the control group. The SWAL plus desk intervention was found to be more effective than SWAL at changing sitting time (-41.7 min/day, -56.3 to -27.0 min/day, P<0.001). Favourable differences in sitting and prolonged sitting time at three and 12 month follow-ups for both intervention groups and for standing time for the SWAL plus desk group were observed during work hours and on workdays. Both intervention groups were associated with small improvements in stress, wellbeing, and vigour, and the SWAL plus desk group was associated with improvements in pain in the lower extremity, social norms for sitting and standing at work, and support. CONCLUSIONS: Both SWAL and SWAL plus desk were associated with a reduction in sitting time, although the addition of a height adjustable desk was found to be threefold more effective. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN11618007.

World´s COVID-19 anti-pandemic measures in the context of postural and spine disorders in primary school children in Slovakia.

INTRODUCTION: This study was aimed to estimate the effect of one-year persistence of COVID-19 anti-pandemic measures on the posture and spine in children of younger school age in Slovakia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 135 children aged between 6 and 9 years participated in this study. The examination of posture and spine was carried out in 4 schools in 4 different districts in Slovakia. The posture was evaluated in February 2020, before anti-pandemic restrictions and in period from May 2021, after one year of anti-pandemic restrictions. Modified methodology according to Napoleon Wolanski was used to evaluate the posture. RESULTS: For the entire study group, the mean posture disorder level score before anti-pandemic restrictions was 5.667 (±1.75) and it rose to 7.844 (±0.64). Prevalence of posture disorders rose from 71.11 % to 91.3 % in the study group. The most affected segments were lumbar spine and pelvis, followed by deformities of the thoracis spinae. The mean pathology level score for entire group in these segments rose as followed: in the lumbar spine from 0.6 (±0.61) to 1.022 (±0.75); in the pelvis from 0.444 (±0.54) to 0.772 (±0.73) and in the thoracis spine from 0.378 (±0.53) to 0.578 (±0.61). CONCLUSION: Study confirmed a worsening of the posture and spine in school children after a one year of strict anti-pandemic measures. As postural changes increased by 20 % during the year, it seems necessary to implement appropriate preventives programs for children, which could have the potential to improve their postural state (Tab. 2, Fig. 1, Ref. 37). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: anti-pandemic restriction, e-learning, COVID-19, postural disorders, spine deformities.

Ambient and Wearable Sensor Technologies for Energy Expenditure Quantification of Ageing Adults.

COVID-19 has affected daily life in unprecedented ways, with dramatic changes in mental health, sleep time and level of physical activity. These changes have been especially relevant in the elderly population, with important health-related consequences. In this work, two different sensor technologies were used to quantify the energy expenditure of ageing adults. To this end, a technological platform based on Raspberry Pi 4, as an elaboration unit, was designed and implemented. It integrates an ambient sensor node, a wearable sensor node and a coordinator node that uses the information provided by the two sensor technologies in a combined manner. Ambient and wearable sensors are used for the real-time recognition of four human postures (standing, sitting, bending and lying down), walking activity and for energy expenditure quantification. An important first aim of this work was to realize a platform with a high level of user acceptability. In fact, through the use of two unobtrusive sensors and a low-cost processing unit, the solution is easily accessible and usable in the domestic environment; moreover, it is versatile since it can be used by end-users who accept being monitored by a specific sensor. Another added value of the platform is the ability to abstract from sensing technologies, as the use of human posture and walking activity for energy expenditure quantification enables the integration of a wide set of devices, provided that they can reproduce the same set of features. The obtained results showed the ability of the proposed platform to automatically quantify energy expenditure, both with each sensing technology and with the combined version. Specifically, for posture and walking activity classification, an average accuracy of 93.8% and 93.3% was obtained, respectively, with the wearable and ambient sensor, whereas an improvement of approximately 4% was reached using data fusion. Consequently, the estimated energy expenditure quantification always had a relative error of less than 3.2% for each end-user involved in the experimentation stage, classifying the high level information (postures and walking activities) with the combined version of the platform, justifying the proposed overall architecture from a hardware and software point of view.

Static Balance Digital Endpoints with Mon4t: Smartphone Sensors vs. Force Plate.

Static balance tests are conducted in various clinics for diagnosis and treatment adjustment. As a result of population aging, the accessibility of these tests should be increased, in the clinic, and for remote patient examination. A number of publications have already conducted static balance evaluations using the sensors embedded in a smartphone. This study focuses on the applicability of using smartphone-based balance assessment on a large scale while considering ease of use, safety, and reliability. The Mon4t® app was used to acquire the postural motion using different smartphone devices, different smartphone locations, and various standing postures. The signals derived from the app were compared to the center of pressure displacement derived from a force plate. The results showed moderate to high agreement between the two methods, particularly at the tandem stance (0.69 ≤ r ≤ 0.91). Preliminary data collection was conducted on three healthy participants, followed by 50 additional healthy volunteers, aged 65+. The results demonstrated that the Mon4t app can serve as an accessible and inexpensive static balance assessment tool, both in clinical settings and for remote patient monitoring, which is key for enabling telehealth.

Platypnea-Orthodeoxia Syndrome after SARS-CoV-2 interstitial pneumonia: an overview and an update on our patient.

Platypnea-Orthodeoxia Syndrome (POS) is a clinical entity defined as positional dyspnoea (platypnea) and arterial desaturation (orthodeoxia) that occurs when sitting or standing up and usually resolves by lying down. Up to April 25th 2021, eleven cases of POS after SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia have been reported on Pubmed. Accordingly, SARS-CoV-2 infection may be considered as an emergent cause of POS due to an increase in ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) mismatch. In this article we provide an update on the patient with POS after fibrotic evolution of SARS-CoV-2 interstitial pneumonia, which we previously reported and we discuss the case reports of POS due to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

A Vision-Based System for In-Sleep Upper-Body and Head Pose Classification.

Sleep quality is known to have a considerable impact on human health. Recent research shows that head and body pose play a vital role in affecting sleep quality. This paper presents a deep multi-task learning network to perform head and upper-body detection and pose classification during sleep. The proposed system has two major advantages: first, it detects and predicts upper-body pose and head pose simultaneously during sleep, and second, it is a contact-free home security camera-based monitoring system that can work on remote subjects, as it uses images captured by a home security camera. In addition, a synopsis of sleep postures is provided for analysis and diagnosis of sleep patterns. Experimental results show that our multi-task model achieves an average of 92.5% accuracy on challenging datasets, yields the best performance compared to the other methods, and obtains 91.7% accuracy on the real-life overnight sleep data. The proposed system can be applied reliably to extensive public sleep data with various covering conditions and is robust to real-life overnight sleep data.

Back Pain and Body Posture Evaluation Instrument for Children and Adolescents (BackPEI-CA): Expansion, Content Validation, and Reliability.

The Back Pain and Body Posture Evaluation Instrument (BackPEI) was created in 2013 to assess back pain and its risk factors in school children. However, it does not assess neck pain or the habits of mobile device usage, which are aspects that are often part of school children's lives. Therefore, we aimed to update the BackPEI questionnaire to include new questions assessing aspects related to neck pain and the use of mobile devices and to test the content validity and reliability of the new questions. The updated questionnaire was named Back Pain and Body Posture Evaluation Instrument for Children and Adolescents (BackPEI-CA). The content was validated by eight experts using the content validity index (CVI). To assess reliability, the BackPEI-CA questionnaire was applied at two different times in 105 school children, and Cohen's kappa (k) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were calculated. All aspects assessed regarding content validity had a CVI higher than 0.8. The new questions presented moderate and good kappa values and excellent ICC values. The updated version of BackPEI-CA can be used as a clinic tool for assessing the presence, frequency, and intensity of back and neck pain and their risk factors.

A Portable Smart Fitness Suite for Real-Time Exercise Monitoring and Posture Correction.

Fitness and sport have drawn significant attention in wearable and persuasive computing. Physical activities are worthwhile for health, well-being, improved fitness levels, lower mental pressure and tension levels. Nonetheless, during high-power and commanding workouts, there is a high likelihood that physical fitness is seriously influenced. Jarring motions and improper posture during workouts can lead to temporary or permanent disability. With the advent of technological advances, activity acknowledgment dependent on wearable sensors has pulled in countless studies. Still, a fully portable smart fitness suite is not industrialized, which is the central need of today's time, especially in the Covid-19 pandemic. Considering the effectiveness of this issue, we proposed a fully portable smart fitness suite for the household to carry on their routine exercises without any physical gym trainer and gym environment. The proposed system considers two exercises, i.e., T-bar and bicep curl with the assistance of the virtual real-time android application, acting as a gym trainer overall. The proposed fitness suite is embedded with a gyroscope and EMG sensory modules for performing the above two exercises. It provided alerts on unhealthy, wrong posture movements over an android app and is guided to the best possible posture based on sensor values. The KNN classification model is used for prediction and guidance for the user while performing a particular exercise with the help of an android application-based virtual gym trainer through a text-to-speech module. The proposed system attained 89% accuracy, which is quite effective with portability and a virtually assisted gym trainer feature.

On the case report of Platypnea-orthodeoxia after SARSCoV-2 pneumonia plus historical notes.

A new cause of POS hás been recently described: SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. Important aspects regarding the case are presented and clarifications requested from the authors. Dr Howard B. Burchell described platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome (POS) in 1949. Burchell´s contributions to Medicine are briefly presented as well as his career.

[Health risks of school-age children with distance learning in the first months of the spread of COVID-19].

According to the results of a sociological survey of 10,237 parents of schoolchildren during the period of emergency transfer of students to distance learning in the initial period of the spread of coronavirus infection, a low provision of children with technical teaching aids was revealed: only 18% of children had a stationary computer at home, 42% of children had a basic gadget available. available for training, there was a smartphone. At the same time, it was determined that children also use gadgets for a considerable time for personal purposes (entertainment, games): according to 17% of parents, 3-4 hours, and 8% of parents answered - more than 5 hours a day. However, most parents are not aware of the amount of time a child spends with a gadget due to their busy schedule. A significant number of parents-respondents (16.5%) pointed to difficulties that arose during distance learning in the relationship between the child and the teacher. Only 60% of the parents surveyed indicated that the child sits at the table while working with the gadget, 24% - the child is more likely to sit in an armchair or on the sofa, 16% - more often the child is in the «reclining¼ position on the sofa or bed. All this determines the health risks of students and indicates the need to develop skills and ways to level them. Taking into account the fact that all participants in the educational process have to face the problems that have arisen during distance learning: students, their parents and teachers, recommendations for the implementation of the general education system of medical, socio-psychological support of students and their families, operational collection data to ensure a quick response, which is possible only by means of technologically modern information systems for medical, social and psychological purposes.

Comparison of electrocardiograms (ECG) waveforms and centralized ECG measurements between a simple 6-lead mobile ECG device and a standard 12-lead ECG.

BACKGROUND: Interval duration measurements (IDMs) were compared between standard 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) and 6-lead ECGs recorded with AliveCor's KardiaMobile 6L, a hand-held mobile device designed for use by patients at home. METHODS: Electrocardiograms were recorded within, on average, 15 min from 705 patients in Mayo Clinic's Windland Smith Rice Genetic Heart Rhythm Clinic. Interpretable 12-lead and 6-lead recordings were available for 685 out of 705 (97%) eligible patients. The most common diagnosis was congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS, 343/685 [50%]), followed by unaffected relatives and patients (146/685 [21%]), and patients with other genetic heart diseases, including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (36 [5.2%]), arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (23 [3.4%]), and idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (14 [2.0%]). IDMs were performed by a central ECG laboratory using lead II with a semi-automated technique. RESULTS: Despite differences in patient position (supine for 12-lead ECGs and sitting for 6-lead ECGs), mean IDMs were comparable, with mean values for the 12-lead and 6-lead ECGs for QTcF, heart rate, PR, and QRS differing by 2.6 ms, -5.5 beats per minute, 1.0 and 1.2 ms, respectively. Despite a modest difference in heart rate, intervals were close enough to allow a detection of clinically meaningful abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: The 6-lead hand-held device is potentially useful for a clinical follow-up of remote patients, and for a safety follow-up of patients participating in clinical trials who cannot visit the investigational site. This technology may extend the use of 12-lead ECG recordings during the current COVID-19 pandemic as remote patient monitoring becomes more common in virtual or hybrid-design clinical studies.