Evaluation of Posture, Joint Movement, and Proprioception in Individuals with and without Chronic Neck Pain

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to evaluate posture, cervical joint movement, and cervical proprioception in participants with chronic neck pain (CNP) and compare them with healthy individuals.
METHODS: Forty individuals with CNP who were academicians at Istanbul Gelisim University’s Vocational School of Health Services and 40 asymptomatic individuals were included the research. Pain intensity was evaluated with a Visual Analog Scale, cervical range of motion (ROM) with a digital goniometer, proprioception sense with target angle test and head repositioning test, posture with New York Posture Analysis Method (NYPAM), muscle shortness with standard tape measure, and neck disability status with neck disability index.
RESULTS: The pain intensity of the CNP group at night, during activity, and at rest was found to be higher than the asymptomatic group (p<0.05). It was observed that the cervical ROM values of the CNP group were lower than the control group in all directions (p<0.05). There was no difference between the two groups in terms of pectoralis minor muscle shortness (p>0.05). NYPAM score was lower in the CNP group than in the control group (p<0.05). It was observed that NDI questionnaire scores were higher in the CNP group than the control group (p<0.05). In all tests, the joint position sense (JPS) error values of the CNP group were found to be higher than control group (p<0.05). There was no significant relationship between pain intensity and JPS error amount in the CNP group (p>0.05).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Data show that it was observed that the cervical ROM decreased in the CNP group. It was determined that posture changes occurred in the CNP group. In addition, it was determined that there was a decrease in proprioception sense in the cervical region in the CNP group. However, no relationship was found between CNP and cervical proprioception sense. We think that pain is a complex sensation by nature, it may not be directly associated with neck proprioception, and clearer results can be obtained through research on specific neck pain groups.