«TEXT NECK» SYNDROME IN CHILDREN PLAYING CHESS

Abstract

Aim: identification of clinical manifestations of “text neck” syndrome in children playing chess.

Materials and methods.  Our study included 45 chess athletes aged 10-17 years (average age 14.6±0.89 years), of which 30 (66.7%) were boys and 15 (33.3%) girls. The experience in chess ranged from 3 to 12 years. The condition for participation in the study was the absence of a history of injuries, accidents, damage to the spine and shoulder girdle and related surgical interventions. A two-stage cross-sectional study was conducted.

Results. Most children had subjective manifestations of the syndrome of varying severity. Among them, children most often complained of headache (77,8%), neck pain and stiffness (71,1%), боли in the upper back (66,7%). Significantly less frequent complaints were pain in the shoulder (33.3%) and numbness and tingling in the fingers (28,9%). When analyzing the measurement results, it was found that during the game of chess, compared to the free position, the angle of inclination of the head decreases significantly (32,46±10,19° against 48,59±9,87°), the angle of neck flexion and thoracic angle increase (47±7,31° and 130,21±11,41° against 33,14±9,03° and 110,91±15,72° relatively).

Conclusions. 1. It has been established that chess training on electronic devices has a pronounced stressful effect on the musculoskeletal system with the subsequent development of pain syndromes, disorders of the neuromuscular and musculo-ligamentous systems. 2. A long game of chess leads not only to a change in the angle of the head and neck flexion, but also in the thoracic angle, which is confirmed by the frequent combination of pain in the neck and thoracic region. 3. The methodology we use will contribute to the development of a program and system for the prevention and correction of musculoskeletal disorders.