Abstract
Purpose: The factors of neck and shoulder pain (NSP), referred to as katakori in Japanese, have yet to be examined well. The aim of this study is to compare the factors of prolonged NSP between those of an asymptomatic control group. The study consisted of community dwelling elderly women and was conducted utilizing simple evaluation tools that can be found in clinical practice.
Method: Thirty-three community dwelling elderly female subjects (22 prolonged NSP group, 11 asymptomatic control group, and average age 71 years old) were recruited for this study. Measurements of the cervicothoracic spinal alignment were obtained via forward head alignment (FHA) along with the upper thoracic angle. A lateral photograph was taken of test subjects with a digital camera, also neck flexor muscle endurance was obtained with the neck flexor muscle endurance test. Cervical functional measurements were obtained with the Neck Disability Index (NDI).
Results: There was no significant difference in the FHA and the upper thoracic angle between the two groups; however, the cervical flexor muscle endurance of the prolonged NSP group was significantly lesser than the asymptomatic control group. NDI score of the prolonged NSP group was also significantly higher than the asymptomatic control group. The adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of cervical muscle endurance was significantly higher in NSP group.
Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the cervical flexor muscle endurance could be a good factor for the presence of prolonged NSP. NDI score was also significantly higher in the prolonged NSP group; therefore, it also indicates prolonged NSP is not only the symptoms in the neck/shoulder region, but also could affect neck function.
