Immediate effects of the suboccipital muscle inhibition technique in craniocervical posture and greater occipital nerve mechanosensitivity in subjects with a history of orthodontia use: a randomized trial.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to measure the immediate differences in craniocervical posture and pressure pain threshold of the greater occipital (GO) nerve in asymptomatic subjects with a history of having used orthodontics, after intervention by a suboccipital muscle inhibition (SMI) technique.


METHODS
This was a randomized, single-blind, clinical study with a sample of 24 subjects (21±1.78 years) that were divided into an experimental group (n=12) who underwent the SMI technique and a sham group (n=12) who underwent a sham (placebo) intervention. The sitting and standing craniovertebral angle and the pressure pain threshold of the GO nerve in both hemispheres were measured.


RESULTS
The between-group comparison of the sample indicated that individuals subjected to the SMI technique showed a statistically significant increase in the craniovertebral angle in both the sitting (P<.001, F1,22=102.09, R2=0.82) and the standing (P<.001, F1,22=21.42, R2=0.56) positions and in the GO nerve pressure pain threshold in the nondominant hemisphere (P=.014, F1,22=7.06, R2=0.24). There were no statistically significant differences observed for the GO nerve mechanosensitivity in the dominant side (P=.202).


CONCLUSIONS
Suboccipital muscle inhibition technique immediately improved the position of the head with the subject seated and standing, the clinical effect size being large in the former case. It also immediately decreased the mechanosensitivity of the GO nerve in the nondominant hemisphere, although the effect size was small.
Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Nursing, Physiotherapy, and Podiatry, University of Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain. amheredia@us.es
Alberto M
AM
Heredia Rizo
Ángel Oliva
ÁO
Pascual-Vaca
Manuel Albornoz
MA
Cabello
Cleofás Rodríguez
CR
Blanco
Fernando Piña
FP
Pozo
Antonio Luque
AL
Carrasco
D000293:Adolescent; D001269:Atlanto-Occipital Joint / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008465:Mechanoreceptors / Q000502:physiology; D026201:Musculoskeletal Manipulations / Q000379:methods*; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D009777:Occipital Bone / Q000294:innervation; D009967:Orthodontic Appliances / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017288:Pain Threshold; D056888:Patient Positioning / Q000379:methods; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult