The Effects of Chronic Neck Pain on Spinal Posture, Spinal Mobility and Handgrip Strength in Older Adults

Aim: The objective of the study was to compare spinal posture, spinal mobility, and handgrip strength between the participants aged 65 and over with and without Chronic Neck Pain (CNP). Material and Method: A total of 35 participants aged 65 and over, 17 older people with a diagnosis of CNP (CNP group) and 18 older people without CNP (control group), were included in this cross-sectional study. The Spinal Mouse device was used to measure spinal posture for the positions of vertebral column and spinal mobility for the movements in sagittal and frontal planes for the vertebral column. Handgrip strength was measured with a hand dynamometer. Results: The mean age of the CNP group and the control group were 69.88±4.66 years and 71.50±4.61 years (p>0.05), respectively. There were significant differences in right and left handgrip strength between the CNP group and the control group, respectively (p=0.008, p=0.022). According to the spinal posture values, the mean length of the vertebral column in CNP group was higher than the controls (p=0.028). In addition, the lumbar and pelvic inclination angles were different between the groups in maximum flexion positions (p=0.040 and p=0.027, respectively). According to the spinal mobility values, the mean pelvic inclination angle was lower in the CNP group than the controls from the upright position to the flexion movement (p=0.023). In addition, the lumbar and pelvic inclination angles were lower in the CNP group than the controls from the maximum extension to the maximum flexion movement (p=0.017 and p=0.013, respectively). Conclusion: This study showed that the length of the vertebral column and the grip strength were higher in the older adults with CNP than the controls. According to the spinal posture, the lumbar angle and pelvic inclination angle were lower in the older adults with CNP than the controls. According to the spinal mobility, the pelvic inclination and lumbar angles in the older adults with CNP were lower than the controls.