Ciccarelli Marina, Fraser Kerri, Vaz Sharmila
School of Occupational Therapy and Social Work, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Aust Occup Ther J. 2016 Dec;63(6):399-407. doi: 10.1111/1440-1630.12320. Epub 2016 Sep 16.
BACKGROUND/AIM: Children and adolescents are prolific users of information and communication technologies (ICT) in learning, leisure, and social communication activities. High exposure to ICT is associated with musculoskeletal injuries in adults; however, the management of ICT physical complaints in children is not well-understood.
An online survey of allied health professionals (occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and chiropractors) was undertaken to determine (i) the number of children and adolescents in Perth, Western Australia who accessed treatment for musculoskeletal complaints related to use of technology; (ii) the typical frequency and duration of service provision; and (iii) the nature of treatment provided. Costs associated with service provision were estimated.
Data from 101 identified the most commonly treated musculoskeletal complaints among children and adolescents included: non-specific neck pain; thoracic postural pain disorder; non-specific low back pain; and lumbar postural pain disorder. Approximately 1445 children were treated in the previous 12 months; with one-third of chiropractors each reported treating 31+ children. Most common treatments were soft tissue release, mobilisation, flexibility and conditioning exercises, soft tissue massage and kinesio-taping. Verbal education about healthy use of technology was provided by most clinicians (88%), with some inconsistent recommendations. The estimated cost of treatment was AUD$1,057,715; of which AUD$544,886 was health system funded.
Children and adolescents received allied health treatment for a range of musculoskeletal complaints associated with ICT use. The potential long-term impacts on their health and wellbeing, and the economic burden associated with this health issue warrant the development of systematic risk reduction strategies.
背景/目的：儿童和青少年在学习、休闲及社交活动中大量使用信息通信技术（ICT）。成年人中，长时间接触ICT与肌肉骨骼损伤有关；然而，儿童ICT相关身体不适的管理尚不清楚。
对专职医疗人员（职业治疗师、物理治疗师和脊椎按摩师）进行在线调查，以确定：（i）西澳大利亚州珀斯因使用技术导致肌肉骨骼不适而接受治疗的儿童和青少年数量；（ii）服务提供的典型频率和时长；（iii）所提供治疗的性质。估算了服务提供的相关成本。
101份数据表明，儿童和青少年中最常治疗的肌肉骨骼不适包括：非特异性颈部疼痛；胸椎姿势性疼痛障碍；非特异性下背部疼痛；以及腰椎姿势性疼痛障碍。在过去12个月中，约1445名儿童接受了治疗；三分之一的脊椎按摩师各自报告治疗了31名以上儿童。最常见的治疗方法是软组织松解、松动术、灵活性和适应性训练、软组织按摩和肌内效贴布。大多数临床医生（88%）提供了关于健康使用技术的口头教育，但有些建议并不一致。估计治疗费用为1,057,715澳元；其中544,886澳元由卫生系统资助。
儿童和青少年因一系列与使用ICT相关的肌肉骨骼不适接受了专职医疗治疗。其对健康和幸福的潜在长期影响，以及与该健康问题相关的经济负担，都需要制定系统的风险降低策略。
