Effect of Chronic Non-specific Neck Pain on Aerobic Capacity in Females

Objective: To examine the effect of chronic non-specific neck pain (NSNP) on maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max) in females. Methods: This study evaluated a total of 104 participants including 52 females aged 20-40 years who were diagnosed with chronic NSNP for at least 1 year (patient group) and 52 healthy females (control group). Mean age of the patient group was 31.04 +/- 5.65 years and of the control group was 31.33 +/- 5.10 years. Pain severity was evaluated with visual analog scale (VAS), neck disability degree with Neck Disability Index (NDI), and VO2max with Bruce Protocol Treadmill Test. Results: Mean VAS score was 5.86 +/- 1.11 cm and mean disease duration was 4.72 +/- 4.20 years in the patient group. There was no significant difference in terms of VO2max level between the two groups (p>0.05). However, in the patient group, there was a moderate negative significant correlation between NDI value and VO2max level (r=-0.344, p=0.012). In addition, there was a moderate positive significant relationship between pain duration (hours/day) and NDI value in the patient group (r=0.308, p=0.026). Conclusion: As a result of the study, it was seen that there was no difference between the patient and healthy groups in terms of aerobic capacity. However, in the patient group, aerobic capacity decreased as the degree of neck disability increased. In the treatment of patients with neck pain, considering the respiratory dysfunction and the factors that cause it may contribute to the treatment processes.