The effect of smartphone usage on the upper extremity performance among Saudi Youth, KSA

Abstract

The current study aims to investigate the effect of smartphone usage on the upper extremity performance among Saudi youth. A goniometer to measure the Range of Motion (ROM), the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS), McGill Pain scale and Chattanooga stabilizer were used to perform the current study on a sample of 300 university students from Al-Imam Mohammed Bin Saud University. The results have shown that smartphone addiction is negatively correlated to the elbow flexion, shoulder flexion, shoulder extension, shoulder abduction, shoulder adduction, and both shoulder internal and external rotation. Furthermore, the results have shown that McGill pain scores were positively correlated to elbow flexion, shoulder flexion, shoulder extension, shoulder abduction, shoulder adduction, and both shoulder internal and external rotation. The study has concluded that smartphone usage among Saudi youth negatively affects the upper extremity and causes a significant increase in the pain intensity. The study has recommended that there is an urgent need for a significant awareness campaign to warn the community regarding the impact of using smartphones for long periods of time.