Assessment of shoulder proprioception in patients with chronic mechanical cervical pain: A comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Chronic mechanical cervical pain (CMCP) is a common disabling problem worldwide, interfering with upper extremities function. However studying the impact of CMCP on shoulder proprioception is still lacking.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of CMCP on shoulder proprioception in young adults compared with normal control (NC) individuals.

METHODS: A comparative study was conducted between two groups; 40 patients with CMCP (mean age 32.28 ± 6.586) and 40 age and sex matched NC (mean age 33.43 ± 9.021). The Biodex isokinetic dynamometer was used to assess shoulder active sense of position at 30∘ external and internal rotations. The absolute angular error was calculated for the dominant and non-dominant shoulders.

RESULTS: The absolute angular error was significantly increased only in the CMCP at both rotation angles for both shoulders, showing a remarkable increase on the dominant shoulder and in the external rotation range compared with NC.

CONCLUSIONS: CMCP can significantly impair shoulder proprioception, particularly on the dominant side and in external rotation range. This could emphasize the careful examination of shoulder proprioception for the early detection of shoulders at risk, to eliminate the possibility of shoulder instability and/or injury in young adults with CMCP.