Abstract
BackgroundAssessment of three-dimensional kinematics and electromyography (EMG) activities is common in patients with chronic neck pain. However, the effect of hand dominance and neck pain location on the measurement of movement and EMG characteristics is still unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of neck pain location and arm dominance on the scapular kinematics and muscle EMG activities in patients with chronic neck pain.MethodsThirty subjects (10 males, 20 females; mean age (sd): 38 (11.9) years) with chronic neck pain for more than 3 months were recruited. The scapular kinematics and EMG activity of the upper trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles were measured during the bilateral arm elevation task. The three-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to examine the effect of neck pain location and hand dominance on the measurement of kinematics and EMG muscle activities.ResultsThe movement of scapular posterior tilt was significantly influenced by arm dominance (P = 0.001) and by the interaction of arm dominance and elevation angle (P = 0.002). The movement of scapular upward/downward rotation was affected by the interaction of arm dominance and elevation angle (P = 0.02). The location of pain did not show any significant influence on the scapular movement and muscle activities.ConclusionsHand dominance could have an influence on the scapular kinematics, which should be taken into consideration when describing and comparing neuromuscular characteristics in individuals with chronic neck pain.
Highlights
Assessment of three-dimensional kinematics and electromyography (EMG) activities is common in patients with chronic neck pain
None of the subjects in this study reported neck pain or discomfort during the bilateral arm elevation testing task
Scapular kinematics The patterns of scapular anterior/posterior tilt, upward/ downward rotation, and internal/external rotation of the dominant and non-dominant arms in three groups of patients are illustrated in Figure 2, 3 and 4
Summary
Assessment of three-dimensional kinematics and electromyography (EMG) activities is common in patients with chronic neck pain. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of neck pain location and arm dominance on the scapular kinematics and muscle EMG activities in patients with chronic neck pain. Numerous studies demonstrated an altered movement control strategy and muscle activation pattern of the neck and scapular region in individuals with chronic neck disorders [1,2,3,4,5]. These studies used either functional tasks or arm elevation to assess the neuromuscular performance of the subjects. Since the location of pain, i.e. pain to dominant or non-dominant side, or pain on both sides, had a significant impact on the neck range of motion performance, this factor might play a role in kinematics and muscle activities of the neck and shoulder complex in individuals with neck pain [12]
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