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Female Office Workers With Moderate Neck Pain Have Increased Anterior Positioning of the Cervical Spine and Stiffness of Upper Trapezius Myofascial Tissue in Sitting Posture
Author(s) -
Kocur Piotr,
Wilski Maciej,
Lewandowski Jacek,
Łochyński Dawid
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
pmandr
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.617
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1934-1563
pISSN - 1934-1482
DOI - 10.1016/j.pmrj.2018.07.002
Subject(s) - medicine , neck pain , asymptomatic , sitting , physical therapy , sternocleidomastoid muscle , forward head posture , myofascial pain syndrome , physical medicine and rehabilitation , trapezius muscle , electromyography , anatomy , surgery , alternative medicine , pathology
Abstract Background Work‐related neck disorders are among the most common dysfunctions in office workers. Understanding cervical myofascial mechanical characteristics that differentiate symptomatic from asymptomatic office workers is crucial for the understanding of musculoskeletal dysfunctions in workers with neck pain. Objective To assess the effect of moderate work‐related neck disorders on head posture and stiffness and perceived pain threshold of the upper trapezius (UT) and sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscles. Design Cross‐sectional study. Setting Work environment. Participants Sixteen office workers with diagnosed moderate work‐related neck disorders and 16 asymptomatic office workers matched for sex, age, body mass index, and the nature and duration of their work. Intervention Not applicable. Outcome The primary outcome measure consisted of measurements of head posture using craniovertebral angle and myotonometric muscle stiffness (Newtons per meter) of the UT and SCM muscles. The secondary output variable was the perceived pain threshold algometry of the studied muscles. Results Compared with controls, subjects with work‐related neck pain had a significantly smaller craniovertebral angle (by 8.3%; Cohen d = 0.88, P = .02) and greater stiffness of the UT myofascial tissue (by 11.3%; Cohen d = 1.05, P = .006). No significant differences in perceived pain threshold of the myofascial tissue of the UT or SCM muscles were found between groups. Conclusion In this study female office workers with neck pain had increased anterior positioning of the head and stiffness of the UT muscle in the sitting posture, which was not associated with changes in the pressure pain threshold of this muscle. Level of Evidence III