Investigation of the Relationship Between Neck Pain and Spinal Curvatures

Although it is known that the cervical, thoracic and lumbar regions of the spine are related with each other biomechanically, there are no studies examining the relationship between cervical pain and other regions of the spine. The purpose of this study was to examine angular changes of the spine and compare it with the control group according to the state of pain in patients with neck pain.

81 patients with chronic neck pain and 40 without any pain in their neck were included in the study. Spinal Mouse device was used to evaluate thoracic and lumbar curvatures. The pain sensory was evaluated with VAS.

Neck pain is one of the most common problems among musculoskeletal disorders. Individuals with recurrent neck pain are characterized with chronic and recurrent pain periods, and their activities and quality of life are adversely affected. The causes of neck pain are not fully known. Long-term wrong static posture is considered as one of the most important causes of neck pain..

When studies examining the relationship between neck pain and spinal normality are investigated, it is seen that these studies mainly focus on the relationship between neck pain and cervical posture. In these studies, it is suggested that abnormal cervical lordosis and forward head posture are associated with neck pain development and its recurrence.

Although there are many studies examining the relationship between neck pain and the posture of the cervical region, studies investigating postural and angular changes in other parts of the spine in patients with neck pain are inadequate. In a review study, which stated that each segment of the spine is interrelated to other segments, it was mentioned that pelvis is associated with lumbar lordosis, lumbar lordosis is interrelated to thoracic kyphosis, and thoracic kyphosis has an impact on cervical lordosis. On the other hand, in this review study, it was emphasized that the relationship between pelvis and thoracic region decreases as the path from the pelvis to the cervical region becomes complicated. However, it is reported that when a postural disorder such as a decrease in lumbar lordosis and/or an increase in thoracic kyphosis occurs, the cervical lordosis increases as a compensatory mechanism.

Although it is known that the cervical, thoracic and lumbar regions of the spine are related with each other biomechanically, there are no studies examining the relationship between cervical pain and other regions of the spine. Lau et al. reported that the upper thoracic angle increases in patients with neck pain and this angle is a good predictor of neck pain.

Since the spine is a whole, it is thought that any deficiency at one end of the whole can affect other segments. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine angular changes of the spine and compare it with the control group according to the state of pain in patients with chronic neck pain.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* 18-65 years old
* presence of neck pain for at least 3 months
* absence of any other problems related to other parts of the spine such as low back pain
* absence of any neurological, rheumatical or musculoskeletal problems

Exclusion Criteria:

* history of spinal surgery
* inclusion in physiotherapy program in the last 6 months
* pregnancy
* risk of osteoporosis
* positive test of vertebrobasilar artery