computers are a necessity in modern society s industries , where most work is performed by 
 using computers1 . typically , employees of 
 an enterprise use their individual computer to perform work , and the daily time spent by 
 office workers on using computers is increasing greatly1 . health problems related to computer use are generally referred to 
 as  computer - related diseases or visual display terminal ( vdt ) syndrome. vdt syndrome is 
 a term that refers to the various symptoms that occur in a person when computer peripheral 
 devices such as the monitor , keyboard , and mouse are being used for a long time1 , 2 . vdt syndrome includes musculoskeletal pain and symptoms in the neck or shoulder , wrist , 
 waist and pelvis , fatigue and irritation of the eyes , and psychoneurotic symptoms1 , 2 . diseases of the musculoskeletal system that are related to vdt syndrome are divided into 
 forward head posture ( turtleneck ) syndrome , lumbar disc degeneration , carpal tunnel 
 syndrome , and myofascial pain syndrome1,2,3 . therefore , self - management of vdt syndrome symptoms are needed so that a person can monitor 
 and correct their musculoskeletal conditions by themselves .. to date , the development and 
 application of tools for self - management of these musculoskeletal conditions has not been 
 reported . the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the self - measurement 
 device for cervical range of motion ( rom ) on neck pain experienced by a computer user . a 39-year - old male subject with neck pain caused by working on a computer was selected for 
 this study . the subject complained of neck pain over the past year and currently experiences 
 restrictions on all roms of the neck . the purpose and methods of the study were explained to the participant prior to his 
 inclusion in the study , and he provided informed consent according to the principles of the 
 declaration of helsinki . prior to the present experiment , our laboratory conducted a 
 preliminary study for the development of a self - evaluation method for neck pain . the 
 independent variables were : electromyograms , muscle lengths , cervical roms , pain assessment 
 questionnaire , muscle strength , and muscle relaxation ratios , whereas the dependent variable 
 was neck pain . analysis was performed to determine all correlations between the individual 
 independent variables and the dependent variable . according to the analysis results , the 
 cervical extension angle and the cervical lateral ( dominant side ) rom angle showed high 
 negative correlation exceeding 80% with neck pain score . among many factors , the measured 
 values of the two cervical joint roms were selected as factors that respond most sensitively 
 to changes in pain . based on the foregoing , an instrument for self - measuring cervical rom 
 was developed . the tilt sensor can be used for the measurement of actual values of anterior / posterior 
 motions . if two sensors are used in linkage with each other for neck motions , highly 
 reliable measured values can be obtained . the accelerometer sensor allows for the 
 measurement of acceleration values , total amount of motion , and the amount of activity 
 through mathematical transformation formulas . in particular , distinguished motions can be 
 calculated on the x , y , and z planes . based on the results of recent studies , this sensor 
 can be also used as a small assessment instrument for motion analysis . this instrument is in 
 the form of a helmet so that users can wear it to measure their own roms and identify the 
 results . the prototype in this study can measure neck motions using an electronic measuring 
 device , and it places a display device in front of the patient s field of view so that the 
 patient can identify the measured values first - hand . red and green visual effects are 
 applied so that the user can identify the degree of restriction on his rom immediately . the 
 subject periodically assessed his rom after working for a long time by using the 
 self - measurement instrument for cervical rom and implemented the self - exercise program based 
 on the results of assessment . the exercise program applied in this study was designed so 
 that the amount of exercise increases as the rom assessment index decreases , and vice versa . the subject was trained in self - measurement and the self - exercise program for two months , 
 and pain was controlled through self - assessment and a program . the pressure pain threshold 
 for the upper trapezius muscle , and cervical roms were measured prior to and after the 
 2-month period of pain control , and a comparison was made between the initial and 
 post - pain - controlling period values . the pressure pain threshold was measured by using an 
 argolometer and cervical roms were measured during cervical rom . at the conclusion of self - measurement and the self - exercise program , the pressure pain 
 threshold ( 3.5 lb ) was higher than the initial threshold prior to the program ( 1.5 lb ) . in 
 addition , all cervical roms increased compared to the initial roms prior to the program 
 ( table 1table 1.comparison of the pre - program and post - program active cervical ranges of 
 motioncervical rom degreespre - programlself - programflexion5258extension4250right lateral flexion4047left lateral flexion3945right rotation5462left rotation5260 ) . according to a survey conducted by the korea internet & security agency about the 
 actual state of computer use , the rate of computer use in children aged 35 years is 51.4% . children in this age group use their computer 4.7 hours per week , and the age at which their 
 computer use begins is 3.2 years4 . upon 
 reviewing the rates of internet use by people according to age , it was found that teenage 
 youths , and young adults in their 20s use computers the most frequently4 . students used computers for 3 hours and 8 minutes each day , 
 whereas at - risk adolescents used computers for 4 hours and 49 minutes each day . the 
 proportion of time spent on different types of tasks during computer use were as 
 follows  gaming : 28.4% ; study - related use : 17.0% ; data searching : 19.9%4 . computer - related diseases occur when slight fatigue has 
 accumulated continuously over a long period , leading to the development of injury - associated 
 symptoms . it causes fatal damage and pain to the musculoskeletal system when time spent 
 working on a computer has accumulated5 . computer - related disease is a process of cumulative traumatic damage , where preventable , 
 reversible degeneration of the musculoskeletal system changes to irreversible degeneration , 
 because of the damage that occurs due to repeated stress6 , 7 . in the case of preventable , reversible degeneration , pain can be sufficiently relieved by self - exercise or 
 musculoskeletal system management methods1 , 7 . however , in the case of irreversible 
 degeneration , pain is not easily relieved even after treatment at a hospital , because the 
 pain and degeneration is permanent7 . the 
 purpose of this study was not only to create the self - measurement device and management tool 
 based on scientific evidence , but also to manage the musculoskeletal care program for 
 constant long - term management and communication with a health specialist to ensure precise 
 evaluations . therefore , this study suggested that the device and program for regular 
 self - measurement of cervical rom for computer users with cervical pain are very effective 
 for pain management .
[ purpose ] the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of using a device for 
 the self - measurement of cervical range of motion on neck pain experienced by a computer 
 user . 
 [ subject ] a 39-year - old male subject with neck pain caused by working on a computer 
 was selected for the study . 
 [ methods ] the instrument was developed for the study , and that 
 the instrument is used to self - measure cervical range of movement . 
 the subject was trained 
 in self - measurement procedures and a self - exercise program for two months , and pain was 
 controlled through self - assessment and a program . 
 the pressure pain threshold for the 
 upper trapezius muscle , and cervical ranges of motion were measured prior to and after the 
 2-month period of pain control . 
 [ results ] at the conclusion of self - measurement and the 
 self - exercise program , the pressure pain threshold was higher than the initial pressure 
 pain threshold , and all cervical ranges of motion increased compared to the initial 
 cervical ranges of motion . 
 [ conclusion ] this result shows that the self - management device 
 for cervical rom is an effective tool for pain management for computer users with cervical 
 pain .