earticle

영어

Background: Chronic neck pain (CNP) is associated with weakness in the deep neck flexor muscles, a shortening of the neck extensors, and a reduction in endurance. In addition, muscle imbalance can lead to neck pain and musculoskeletal dysfunction. This study compared neck extensor muscle fatigue, muscle strength, and muscle endurance time between patients with CNP and healthy adults during isometric neck extension. Methods: Thirty participants (15 patients with CNP and 15 healthy adults) were recruited in this research. The outcome measures included splenius capitis (SC) muscle fatigue, isometric neck extensor strength, and muscle endurance. The independent T-test was used to compare the continuous dependent variables between the CNP group and the healthy group. Results: The independent T-test indicated that muscle fatigue in the left SC differed significantly between the CNP group and the healthy group. A significant difference was also noted in the isometric neck extensor and neck extensor strength between the groups. Conclusion: Our results provided promising clinical evidence that patients with CLP have reduced neck extensor strength and endurance and increased SC muscle fatigue, which results in neck pain.