“A Corelation Between Craniovertebral (CV) Angle, Cervical Range of Motion and Deep Neck Flexor Muscle Endurance in Young Adults with Neck Pain”

Abstract

BACKGROUND: By definition neck pain is pain perceived as arising in a region bounded superiorly by the superior nuchal line, laterally by the lateral margins of the neck, and inferiorly by an imaginary transverse line through the T1 spinous process, associated with poor general health status, psychological distress, and previous neck injury, in addition to a range of other factors such as occupational tasks and obesity. Key elements of cervical muscle performance are strength, power, and endurance. If any one or more of these areas of muscle performance is impaired, functional limitations and disability or increased risk of dysfunction may occur. Imbalances in cervical muscles resulting if postural misalignment are prolonged, an excessive load is imposed on the joints and muscle, resulting forward head posture.

AIM: To find out corelation between Craniovertebral (CV) angle, Cervical Range of Motion (ROM) and Deep Neck Flexor muscle (DNF) Endurance in young adults with neck pain.

METHODOLOGY: Total 58 subjects were taken in this study. By photographic method Craniovertebral (CV) angle, by Bubble Goniometer Cervical ROM and by muscle force technique cervical Deep neck flexors endurance are checked. Cervical ROM degrees, Degree of CV angle and time in seconds for DNF endurance are taken as outcome measures.

RESULTS: Data were analysed by SPSS statistics 26.0 software. Normality of the data was checked by Shapiro-wilk test and it showed that data is of non-parametric type. Spearman Correlation test was used to determine the degree of association between deep neck flexors muscle endurance, Cervical ROM and craniovertebral angle. The results revealed that there is low positive (r = 0.118) correlation between deep neck flexor muscle endurance and craniovertebral angle. (p value for above results was > 0.05) Craniovertebral angle and cervical rotations have negatively correlated while other cervical range of motions have positively correlated with CV angle. DNF endurance with cervical extension has negatively correlated while other cervical range of motion are positively correlated.

CONCLUSION: It can be concluded from this study that any deviation in craniovertebral angle can affect deep neck flexor muscle endurance as both are low positive correlated with each other in young adults with neck pain. Similarly, DNF Endurance and CV angle changes significantly affects cervical ROM.