The impact of use of dual monitor screens on 3D head-neck posture and activity of neck muscles

Details

• Personal Author:
  Alabdulmohsen RT ; Etherton, John R. ; Guffey SE ; Nimbarte AD
• Description:
  Background: Among workstation design factors, placement of the computer monitor screen is the most frequently identified risk factor for neck and shoulder pain among video display unit users. One of the recent changes in video display unit workstation design that may influence the position of computer monitor screens is the use of dual monitors. Some studies have shown that user performance and efficiency was positively affected by the use of dual monitor screens; however, the effect of use of dual monitor screens on the biomechanical behavior of the head-neck region is currently unknown. Purpose: This study was aimed at understanding the effect of single versus dual monitor screens on 3D head-neck postures and the activity of neck muscles. Method: Ten healthy participants performed three types of video display unit tasks: (1) reading for 10 minutes, (2) typing for 5 minutes, and (3) performing search and find tasks for 10 minutes using single and dual monitor screens. An inertial motion-capture system was used to measure 3D head-neck postures. Activity of sternocleidomastoid and cervical trapezius muscles was recorded bilaterally using surface electromyography. Results: Use of dual monitor screens significantly increased head-neck rotation by 9.0 degrees compared to the single monitor screen. The range of motion of head-neck rotation increased significantly by 8.4 degrees using dual monitor screens compared to the single monitor screen. Corresponding to the increase in the head-neck rotation, a contralateral increase in the activity of the right sternocleidomastoid muscle was observed with the dual monitor screen layout. Activity of cervical trapezius muscle was not affected by the type of monitor layout. Conclusions: Increased activation of anterior neck muscles caused by asymmetrical, more rotated head-neck postures while operating a video display unit workstation with dual monitor screens may increase the risk of neck musculoskeletal disorders, especially with prolonged computer use. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Computers
  • Musculoskeletal Diseases
  • Musculoskeletal System
  • Occupational Health
  • Risk Assessment
  • Risk Factors
  • Safety
  • Workplace
• Keywords:
  • Computers
  • Computer equipment
  • Workers
  • Work areas
  • Posture
  • Neck injuries
  • Musculoskeletal system
  • Musculoskeletal system disorders
  • MSD
  • Muscles
  More +
• ISSN:
  2157-7323
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  38-49
• Volume:
  1
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20049212
• Citation:
  IIE Trans Occup Ergon Hum Factors 2013 Jan; 1(1):38-49
• Email:
  Ashish.Nimbarte@mail.wvu.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• Performing Organization:
  West Virginia University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• End Date:
  20250630
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/203743/cdc_203743_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 573.12 KB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:244fddb1d2948b06bed0f18d10c30ab2f6849c1f6b7bec77aca7ac709a64900d00470d4f3480ae263519ed91aabcc2a8f4e2f8c03d1bac28c8e217431596187e