Background: Neck pain is an extremely common musculoskeletal problem faced by a large number of teachers. In
COVID-19 pandemic, teachers have played a major role in maintaining the pace of the society but it has taken a toll on
them too. The use of electronic devices for long hours lead to static postures and increased levels of stress, and thus
result in pain and discomfort. Purpose: This study aims to quantify the relationship between neck pain, stress and
posture among teachers using cost effective as well as efficient methods in times of coronavirus pandemic. Methodology:
Forty-three (N=43) teachers as subjects with age of less than 60 years both males and females from different schools
participated. Teachers with at-least 1 year of experience were included in the study. Teachers having any chronic
medical illness and musculoskeletal disease or anomalies such neck deformity (torticollis, cervical rib) and surgery
were excluded. NDI and Perceived Stress Scale along with APECS application were used for assessment. Results: It
was found that there was moderate positive correlation between neck pain and stress with R value =0.5261. Similarly,
a weak positive correlation was noted between neck pain and head tilt (R=0.2566) Astonishingly a weak positive
correlation was also found between neck pain and shoulder alignment (r=0.0924). Conclusion: The use of APECS
application proved to be cost effective and efficient in assessing the posture of an individual. On the basis of data
collected, neck pain is directly proportional to stress and posture which comprises head tilt as well as shoulder
alignment. This depicts that, as stress in an individual increases, the severity of neck pain will also increase. Similarly,
more the posture of head and neck deviates, more it will result in neck disability.
Keywords: Neck disability index (NDI), Perceived stress scale (PSS), Artificial intelligence posture evaluation and
correction system (APEC)