The aim of this study is to examine the effect of mental fatigue (MF) induced by 30 minutes of social media use on neck kinematics and neck muscle biomechanical properties in young male athletes. Twenty-five participants are enrolled in a single-blind cross-sectional design. Baseline and post-MF assessments include cervical range of motion measured with a CROM device, forward head posture evaluated using craniovertebral angle analysis, and muscle tone, stiffness, and elasticity measured with MyotonPRO. MF is induced through 30 minutes of Instagram® use on a smartphone and quantified with a 100-mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). No results or conclusions are provided in this section.
The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of mental fatigue (MF) induced by 30 minutes of social media use on neck kinematics and the biomechanical properties of the neck muscles \[upper trapezius, sternocleidomastoid (SCM), semispinalis (SS), and splenius capitis (SC)\] in young male athletes. Twenty-five young male athletes are enrolled in a single-blind cross-sectional study. Participants undergo assessments at baseline and again following MF induction. These assessments include cervical range of motion (CROM) measured with a validated CROM device, forward head posture (FHP) evaluated via craniovertebral angle (CVA) photometric analysis, and muscle biomechanical properties (tone, stiffness, elasticity) measured using the MyotonPRO device. Mental fatigue is induced through 30 minutes of Instagram use on a smartphone. MF severity is assessed using a 100-mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). No results or conclusions are reported in this section.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
SCREENING
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
25
Metal Fatigue Protocols Participants used Instagram® for 30 minutes by browsing their personal feed with one-handed tapping and swiping gestures. They were allowed to scroll and like posts but were restricted from viewing stories or reels and from sharing any content.
Health Sciencies
Bandırma, Balıkesir, Turkey (Türkiye)
Range of Motion of the Neck
The normal joint motion of the cervical region was evaluated with the Cervical Range of Motion (CROM-Perfomance Attainment Associates, St. Paul, MN, 55117, United States) device, which has clinical validity and reliability. The flexion, extension, right and left lateral flexion and rotation angles of the cervical region were measured three times and averaged with the CROM device.
Time frame: Baseline
Forward Head Posture
The craniovertebral angle (CVA) was measured using a photometric method with the participants in a standing position. Prior to imaging, the C7 process and tragus were marked. A camera was placed 1.5 m from the lateral surface of the body at the level of the acromial process.
Time frame: Baseline
Biomechanical Properties of Muscles
The biomechanical properties of cervical muscles were assessed using the MyotonPRO, which quantifies tissue oscillations following a brief mechanical impulse to determine tone, stiffness, and elasticity. This method provides reliable interrater and intrarater measurements for cervical musculature when applied perpendicularly in a standardized supine position, as demonstrated in previous research. For each muscle, three consecutive measurements were recorded following established protocols for the sternocleidomastoid and upper trapezius.The MyotonPro enables the assessment of various parameters, including the state of resting muscle tone (F), defined as the suppressed EMG signal, and dynamic stiffness (S). The basis of stiffness assessment using myotonometry is the theory of free oscillations, arising from the natural oscillations of tissues in response to brief mechanical exposure of the skin.
Time frame: Baseline
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