Three-dimensional Cervical Movement Characteristics in Healthy Subjects and Subgroups of Chronic Neck Pain Patients Based on Their Pain Location

Background. Neck pain is a common problem, and it includes 30% of 25–29 year olds. The percentage of people over 45 years of age has risen to 50% (Knight and Draper, 2012). Long-term muscle imbalance disrupts body biomechanics. Due to long-lasting pain, the quality of work may decrease, rest can get worse, and mood may change. Purpose. To determine the eﬀect of temporomandibular joint mobilization for neck pain and function in patients who suﬀer chronic non-specifc neck pain. Methods. The study involved six people with non-specifc chronic neck pain, who were divided into two groups: exercises, and the second group – exercises and mobilization of temporomandibular joint. At the beginning and end of the study, we performed the following tests: deep neck ﬂexor endurance test, visual analogue scale (VAS), goniometry, the amplitude of the temporomandibular joint. Results. In the group of exercises, the pain score after treatment decreased (before – 67 ± 28, after – 14 ± 16.5) the strength and endurance of the deep neck ﬂexor muscle improved (before – 13.7 ± 2.5 s, after – 28.7 ± 6.4 s). The amplitude of all neck movements was improved (p < 0.05), comparing them before and after physiotherapy. The amplitude of the temporomandibular joint improved the movement characteristics: depression, lateral excursions to left and right, protrusion (p < 0.05). Conclusions. Comparing the results after applying diﬀerent methods of physiotherapy, intensity of pain and neck function parameters did not show significant diﬀerences.Keywords: temporomandibular joint, nonspecifc neck pain, mobilization.

Download Full-text

Correlation Between Skin Temperature Over Myofascial Trigger Points in the Upper Trapezius Muscle and Range of Motion, Electromyographic Activity, and Pain in Chronic Neck Pain Patients

Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics ◽

10.1016/j.jmpt.2017.10.009 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 41 (4) ◽

pp. 350-357 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Carlos Eduardo Girasol ◽

Almir Vieira Dibai-Filho ◽

Alessandra Kelly de Oliveira ◽

Rinaldo Roberto de Jesus Guirro

Keyword(s):

Neck Pain ◽

Skin Temperature ◽

Trapezius Muscle ◽

Chronic Neck Pain ◽

Trigger Points ◽

Electromyographic Activity ◽

Myofascial Trigger Points ◽

Upper Trapezius ◽

Upper Trapezius Muscle ◽

Pain Patients

Download Full-text

Examination of Regional Interdependence Theory in Chronic Neck Pain: Interpretations from Correlation of Strength Measures in Cervical and Pain-Free Regions

Pain Medicine ◽

10.1093/pm/pnz206 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Leila Ghamkhar ◽

Amir Massoud Arab ◽

Mohammad Reza Nourbakhsh ◽

Amir Hossein Kahlaee ◽

Reyhaneh Zolfaghari

Keyword(s):

Neck Pain ◽

Pain Intensity ◽

Neck Disability Index ◽

Chronic Neck Pain ◽

Pain Intensity Score ◽

Painful Condition ◽

Asymptomatic Volunteers ◽

Interdependence Theory ◽

Regional Interdependence ◽

Pain Patients

Abstract Objective Impairments present in chronic pain conditions have been reported not to be limited to the painful region. Pain-free regions have also been proposed to be adversely affected as a cause or consequence of the painful condition. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between muscle strength in painful and pain-free regions and chronic neck pain. Design A cross-sectional study. Setting Rehabilitation hospital laboratory. Subjects One hundred twenty-two patients with chronic neck pain (87 female) and 98 asymptomatic volunteers (52 female) were included in the study. Methods Maximal isometric strength measures of the neck, scapulothoracic, shoulder, trunk, and hip muscles were assessed using a hand-held dynamometer in all participants. Pain intensity and pain-related disability were also assessed in patients through visual analog scale and Neck Disability Index scores, respectively. Results Principal component analysis revealed one component for each of the studied regions. Multivariate analysis of variance found neck (d = 0.46), scapulothoracic (d = 0.46), shoulder (d = 0.60), trunk flexor (d = 0.38), extensor (d = 0.36), and hip (d = 0.51) strength components to be lower in the neck pain patients compared with asymptomatic participants (P < 0.01). Logistic and linear regression analyses found the shoulder strength component both to be a significant predictor for neck pain occurrence (β = 0.53, P < 0.01) and to have a considerable effect on pain intensity score (β=–0.20, P = 0.02), respectively. Conclusions The results found that some pain-free regions in addition to the cervical spine to exhibit lower levels of muscular strength in neck pain patients. These findings support the regional interdependence theory, which proposes that impairments are not limited to the painful area and are possibly mediated by central mechanisms.

Download Full-text