Cervicocephalic kinesthetic sensibility in patients with chronic, nontraumatic cervical spine pain.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate cervicocephalic kinesthetic sensibility (head repositioning accuracy to subjective straight ahead) in patients with chronic, nontraumatic cervical spine pain.


METHODS
A prospective, 2-group, observational design.


METHODS
An outpatient chiropractic clinic in the United Kingdom.


METHODS
Eleven patients (6 men, 5 women; mean age +/- standard deviation, 41.1 +/- 13.3 yr; range, 18-55 yr) with chronic, nontraumatic cervical spine pain (mean duration, 24 +/- 18 mo), with no evidence of cervical radiculopathy and/or myelopathy or any other neurologic disorder. Eleven asymptomatic, unimpaired volunteers (5 men, 6 women; mean age, 39.3 +/- 10.3 yr; range, 28-54 yr) with no history of whiplash or other cervical spine injury or pain served as controls.


METHODS
Cervicocephalic kinesthetic sensibility was investigated by testing the ability of blindfolded participants to relocate accurately the head on the trunk, to a subjective straight-ahead position, after a near-maximal active movement of the head in the horizontal or vertical plane. The active cervical range of motion and the duration and intensity of neck pain were also recorded.


RESULTS
Mann-Whitney U testing indicated that the patient (P) group was no less accurate in head repositioning than the control (C) group for all movement directions except flexion (median global positioning error [95% confidence interval], P = 5.7 degrees [5.03-9.10], C = 4.2 degrees [3.17-5.32]; p <.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Nontraumatic neck pain patients show little evidence of impaired cervicocephalic kinesthetic sensibility. These results contrast with studies of chronic cervical pain patients in which the origin was not controlled or involved a cervical whiplash injury.
Rix
G D
GD
Department of Academic Affairs, Anglo-European College of Chiropractic, Bournemouth, UK. grix@aecc-chiropractic.ac.uk
Bagust
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D019416:Head Movements / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007699:Kinesthesis / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011434:Proprioception / Q000502:physiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric