Mohamed Taher Mahmoud Eldesoky

Background and Objectives: Cervicogenic headaches (CGH) are increasingly common among college students and may negatively affect academic performance and sleep quality. This study aimed to identify the self-reported prevalence of cervicogenic-type head and neck pain in a convenience sample of Saudi college students and to examine its associations with electronic device use, physical activity, and sleep quality among college students in Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 313 college students from various Saudi university colleges using an online self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire gathered information on sociodemographic characteristics, electronic device usage, neck pain awareness, physical activity levels, and sleep quality. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data, and chi-square tests were used to explore associations between potential predictors and the prevalence of self-reported cervicogenic-type head and neck pain consistent with possible CGH. Results: Most participants were female (84.3%) and aged 18–25 years (95.2%). Cervicogenic-type head and neck pain were reported by 65.2% (n = 204/313), while 56.5% experienced moderate to severe stress. A significant association was found with perceived stress (p = 0.002). Prolonged electronic device use (>4 h/day: 77.9%; p < 0.01), lower physical activity (p = 0.056), medication use (p < 0.01), headache exacerbation with inactivity (p = 0.006), and poor sleep quality (95.1% with PSQI > 10; p = 0.044) were significantly associated. Conclusions: These findings highlight associations between excessive electronic device use, low physical activity, and poor sleep quality with self-reported cervicogenic-type head and neck pain among Saudi college students. Future longitudinal studies and randomized controlled trials are needed to determine whether targeting these factors reduces the prevalence of CGH.

Background: Chronic nonspecific low back pain (CNLBP) with lumbar hyperlordosis leads to pain, dysfunction, and poor quality of life. Virtual reality (VR)-based training may enhance exercise engagement and outcomes. This study compared VR-based pelvic rocking training with conventional pelvic rocking training exercises. Methods: A triple-blind randomized controlled trial enrolled 100 participants with CNLBP and hyperlordosis, who were randomly allocated into two groups: the group, which performed pelvic rocking exercises using the TBed VR system (TbG), and the conventional group (CG), which performed the same exercises without VR. Both groups completed three sessions per week for eight weeks. Primary outcomes included pain (Numerical Pain Rating Scale, NPRS), lumbar lordotic angle (LLA), lumbar range of motion (ROM), and functional disability (Oswestry Disability Index, ODI). Secondary outcomes were patient satisfaction and commitment to exercise sessions. Assessments were conducted at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and after a one-month follow-up. Results: Both groups showed significant improvements in all outcome measures post-treatment (p < 0.016). Furthermore, some outcomes—specifically pain, LLA, and extension ROM—continued to improve during the follow-up period. The TbG demonstrated significantly greater reductions in pain, greater ROM improvements, greater functional gains, and higher levels of satisfaction and commitment than the CG (p < 0.05). These between-group differences persisted at the one-month follow-up, particularly for pain and ROM, which remained statistically significantly better in the TbG. Moreover, all between-group differences demonstrated medium to high clinical effects (d ≥ 0.3). Conclusions: Pelvic rocking exercises using the TBed VR system were superior to conventional exercises in terms of pain, ROM, and function at the immediate and intermediate time points. Using TBed led to better patient satisfaction and higher exercise commitment.