Cervical joint position sense is impaired in older adults

Abstract

Although the role of afferent input from cervical muscles on the control of posture and locomotion is recognised, it is surprising that there is an absence of data reporting whether joint position sense at the cervical level is impaired in older healthy adults. The present experiment was designed to address this issue. Eighteen young (mean age=23 yrs) and 18 older healthy adults (mean age=68 yrs) were asked to perform the cervicocephalic relocation test (CRT) to the neutral head position (NHP), that is, to relocate the head on the trunk, as accurately as possible, after active cervical rotation to the left and right sides. Ten trials were performed for each rotation. Absolute and variable errors were used to assess cervical joint repositioning accuracy and consistency, respectively. Less accurate and less consistent repositioning performances were observed in older adults than in young adults, as indicated by increased absolute and variable errors, respectively. The present findings show that cervical joint position sense, assessed through the CRT to the NHP, is impaired in older adults.