Sensorimotor disturbances in chronic neck pain—Range of motion, peak velocity, smoothness of movement, and repositioning acuity

Sjölander, Per; Michaelson, Peter; Jaric, Slobodan; Djupsjöbacka, Mats

doi:10.1016/j.math.2006.10.002

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Volume 13, Issue 2 , Pages 122-131, April 2008

Sensorimotor disturbances in chronic neck pain—Range of motion, peak velocity, smoothness of movement, and repositioning acuity

Per Sjölander
- Southern Lapland Research Department, Postgatan 7, SE-912 32 Vilhelmina, Sweden
- Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, University of Gävle, SE-907 12 Umeå, Sweden
- Corresponding author. Southern Lapland Research Department, Postgatan 7, SE-912 32 Vilhelmina, Sweden. Tel.: +4694014494; fax: +4694015353.
Peter Michaelson
- Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, University of Gävle, SE-907 12 Umeå, Sweden
- Department of Surgery and Perioperative Sciences, Division of Sports Medicine, University of Umeå, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
- Department of Health Science, Physiotherapy Unit, Luleå University of Technology, SE-97187Luleå, Sweden
Slobodan Jaric
- Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, University of Gävle, SE-907 12 Umeå, Sweden
- Human Performance Laboratory, University of Delaware, DE 19716, USA
Mats Djupsjöbacka
- Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, University of Gävle, SE-907 12 Umeå, Sweden

Received 9 November 2004; received in revised form 22 June 2006; accepted 20 October 2006.

Abstract

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate sensorimotor functions in patients with chronic neck pain with objective and quantitative methods. A group of 16 patients with chronic idiopathic neck pain of insidious onset or whiplash associated disorders (WAD) was compared to an equally sized group of healthy subjects. Kinematics were investigated during voluntary head rotations by measuring range of motion, variability of range of motion (ROM-Variability), peak velocity, and smoothness of movement (jerk index). Repositioning acuity after cervical rotations was evaluated by analysing constant and variable error (VE). In comparison to the healthy subjects, the patients showed significantly larger jerk index, ROM-Variability and VE. No statistically significant differences were found between insidious neck pain and WAD. It is concluded that jerky and irregular cervical movements and poor position sense acuity are characteristic sensorimotor symptoms in chronic neck pain. The observed individuality in sensorimotor disturbances emphasizes the importance of developing specific rehabilitation programs for specific dysfunctions, and of using objective and quantitative methods for evaluation of rehabilitation.

Keywords: Neck pain, Whiplash, Neck kinematics, Motor control, Proprioception, Jerk