title: Do male and female patients with chronic neck pain really have different health-related physical fitness, depression, anxiety and quality of life parameters?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to investigate whole body physical fitness parameters such as maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max), muscle strength, trunk flexibility, daily physical activity, pulmonary function, body composition, anxiety and depression, as well as other disease-related changes in patients with chronic neck pain (CNP), and to compare them with healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty patients (40 male, 40 female) with CNP and 80 (40 male, 40 female) controls were included in this study. VO2max, handgrip and back-leg strengths, trunk flexibility, daily physical activity, pulmonary function test (PFT), body composition and pressure pain threshold (PPT) measurements were carried out. Neck disability index (NDI), Beck anxiety inventory (BAI), Beck depression inventory (BDI), Pittsburg sleep quality index (PSQI), and Short-Form health survey (SF-36) questionnaires were applied to all participants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Handgrip and back-leg strengths and suboccipital and paraspinal-C7 PPTs and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) were lower, and PSQI, BAI and BDI were higher, in female patients with CNP, compared to healthy controls; whereas, VO2max and HRQoL were lower, and body fat percantage and PSQI were higher, in male patients with CNP, compared to healthy controls. Trunk flexibility and PFT values were not significantly different between the patients and the controls in both genders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We suggest that, on the basis of gender, consideration of not only the neck region but also whole body physical fitness, anxiety and depression parameters in patients with CNP might be helpful to the development of more benefical strategies for illness management.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hatice
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yalcinkaya
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey.
authors.forename: Kagan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ucok
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey.
authors.forename: Alper M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ulasli
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey.
authors.forename: Necip F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Coban
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sedat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aydin
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey.
authors.forename: Idris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gokhan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Akkan
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey.
authors.forename: Tugba
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tugrul Senay
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D018737:Hand Strength; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D017288:Pain Threshold; D010809:Physical Fitness; D011788:Quality of Life; D012737:Sex Factors; D012890:Sleep
keywords: aerobic exercise capacity; chronic neck pain; daily physical activity; pain threshold; sleep quality; strength