Comparison and Association of Neck Extensor Muscles’ Endurance and Postural Function in Subjects with and without Chronic Neck Pain – A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Purpose Neck extensor endurance (NEE) and position sense are vital for maintaining cervical spine function and defects in these processes may be associated with impaired postural control in chronic neck pain (CNP) subjects. The study’s objectives are 1) to compare the cervical extensor endurance capability and postural control of CNP subjects with those of asymptomatic controls; 2) to investigate the association between NEE and postural control. Materials and Methods Sixty-four participants (38 asymptomatic, 38 with CNP) participated in this cross-sectional study. NEE was assessed using a clinical extensor endurance test. Under open and closed eyes conditions, postural control measures were tested with the Good Balance system. The postural control parameters were AP-velocity (mm/s), ML-velocity (mm/s) and Velocity moment (mm2). NEE capacity and postural control parameters were compared and correlated between asymptomatic and CNP subjects. Results and Discussion CNP subjects showed lower NEE capacity (p<0.001) and significantly larger AP-velocity (p<0.001), ML-velocity (p<0.001) and Velocity moment (p<0.001) than asymptomatic participants. NEE negatively correlated with AP-velocity (r=−0.51, p=0.001), ML-velocity (r=0.46, p=0.003) and velocity moment (r=0.38, p=0.020) in asymptomatic subjects in eyes open condition and no correlations in subjects with CNP. CNP subjects showed increased postural sway velocities and lowered extensor endurance capacity compared to asymptomatic participants. No correlations existed between NEE and postural control parameters in CNP subjects.

Comparison and correlation of cervical proprioception and muscle endurance in general joint hypermobility participants with and without non-specific neck pain—a cross-sectional study

“…Our study findings are in accordance with prior research indicating decreased cervical muscle endurance in NSNP patients compared to asymptomatic patients ( Alahmari et al, 2019 ; Amiri Arimi, Ghamkhar & Kahlaee, 2018 ; Kandakurti et al, 2021 ; Reddy et al, 2021b ). The cervical spine muscles have an abundance of muscle spindle that significantly contributes to afferent motor functionality in maintaining neck endurance ( Boyd-Clark, Briggs & Galea, 2002 ).…”

Association between Kinesiophobia and Knee Pain Intensity, Joint Position Sense, and Functional Performance in Individuals with Bilateral Knee Osteoarthritis

“…Additionally, other outcomes, such as walking endurance, speed tests, and back endurance, may be recommended to obtain a more comprehensive functional performance analysis. Furthermore, as age increases, muscle mass, strength, and proprioceptive functionality decrease [ 44 , 45 , 46 ]. As a result, the loss in JPS and functional performance shown in this study could be due to aging processes, rather than kinesiophobia.…”

Kinesiophobia and its correlations with pain, proprioception, and functional performance among individuals with chronic neck pain

“…It is vital to develop effective recovery strategies in these neck pain patients by evaluating psychological factors before and after rehabilitation and recognizing which psychological impairments contribute significantly to neck rehabilitation [ 19 ]. There is no explored research, to our knowledge, in neck pain patients that correlated pain, proprioception and functional performance with kinesiophobia.…”