The Interaction of Wearing Multifocal Lenses With Head Posture and Pain

Abstract

P osture is a "composite of the positions of all the joints of the body at any given moment" (8). Poor posture results in muscle imbalances with concomitant muscle shortening or elongation. These changes in muscle length will result in a faulty relationship between the various parts of the body, producing increased strain and decreased eficiency of the body (9,l2,15).Three major factors influence adult posture: I) heredity, 2) disease, and 3) habit. Physical therapeutic intervention attempts to alleviate symptoms of disease and influence healing and also plays a major role in education against misuse of the third influence, habit. Postural position is due to the interplay between genetic predisposition and external environmental factors or habits (5). Habitual patterns can contribute to the development of postural changes producing muscular hyperactivity, ligamentous stress, and alteration of the anatomical relationship of the joint., thus frequently becoming a source of pain (12). One of the most prevalent postural deviations is the forward head position. The chronic placement of the head anterior to the body's center of gravity has been suggested by many as a component in the etiology of numerous musculoskeletal and neurovascular dysfunctions (2,5,(9)(10)(11)(12)15,19).

The effect of postural correction on muscle activation amplitudes recorded from the cervicobrachial region

“…In addition, Szeto et al [33] found that a small sample of women with neck and shoulder pain showed trends towards having increased head tilt and neck flexion postures during computer work as compared to asymptomatic women. Most recent research has, however, indicated that this supposed association between head posture and pain does not necessarily exist [37,12,39]. Head posture while sitting appears to be time-and task-dependent.…”

Measurement of craniovertebral angle with Electronic Head Posture Instrument: Criterion validity

“…However, it is cumbersome and inconvenient to use in clinical practices. Previous studies demonstrated that associations exist among FHP, neck pain, and disability [4][5]9,16,20]. The studies found that subjects with head, neck, and shoulder discomfort are more likely to have a smaller CV angle that indicates an FHP than that of asymptomatic subjects.…”

“…Proper posture maintains the musculoskeletal balance equilibrium [4], and poor posture might result in muscle imbalance that causes a faulty relationship among various body parts [5]. Forward head posture (FHP) is one of the most common cervical abnormalities that predisposes individuals toward pathological conditions, such as headache [6][7], neck pain [8][9], temporomandibular disorders [10], vertebral bodies disorders [11], soft-tissue length and strength alteration [12][13], or even scapula and shoulder dyskinesis [14][15].…”

“…The HPSCI is an inexpensive method to measure CV angle. Willford et al demonstrated that it produced consistent and stable intrarater results (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.9) across days and trials in 27 nondisabled subjects [5]. However, the accuracy of the instrument is limited to whole digits only without decimal places because no marking exists between digits.…”

The effects of multifocal refractive lenses on occipital extension and forward head posture during a visual task

“…The neck posture adapted during a computer task suggests that there is a greater degree of forward head posture among multifocal lens wearers when compared to nonmultifocal lens wearers. According to Willford et al (1996), an interaction between forward head posture and pain was postulated by sustained sitting for many hours. Unnatural positions may lead to musculoskeletal discomfort and ergonomics concerns.…”