Association Between Opium Smoking and Neck and Upper Spine Posture Disorders

Many studies have shown that non-ergonomic positioning of the spine is one of the main causes of postural deformity. In this regard, opium smoking requires sitting in non-ergonomic positions, which increases the possibility of posture disorders due to exposure for several hours a day and over many years.

This study aimed to compare neck pain and disability, forward head posture (FHP), and the curvature of the thoracic spine (thoracic hyperkyphosis [THK]) in opium users and non-drug users.

In this comparative cross-sectional study, 80 opium smokers were compared with 74 non-drug users in terms of craniovertebral angle (FHP), THK, and neck pain (Visual Analog Scale [VAS]) and disability (neck disability index [NDI]). Data were analyzed by Kolmogorov-Smirnov and independent t-tests using SPSS version 23.

The difference between the 2 groups was significant in all variables, including VAS (P = 0.004), NDI (P < 0.001), craniovertebral angle (P = 0.003), and THK (P = 0.006).

Forward head posture, THK, neck pain, and neck disability are more prevalent in opium smokers than non-drug users. This could be due to the long hours of the non-ergonomic position while smoking opium.