Influence of chronic neck pain on cervical joint position error (JPE): Comparison between young and elderly subjects

BACKGROUND: Evaluation of cervical joint position sense in subjects with chronic neck pain has gained importance in recent times. Different authors have established increased joint position error (WE) in subjects with acute neck pain. However, there is a paucity of studies to establish the influence of chronic neck pain on cervical JPE. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to understand the influence of chronic neck pain on cervical JPE, and to examine the differences in cervical WE between young and elderly subjects with chronic neck pain. METHODS: Forty-two chronic neck pain patients (mean age 47.4) were compared for cervical WE with 42 age-matched healthy subjects (mean age 47.8), using a digital inclinometer. The cervical WE were measured in flexion, extension, and rotation in right and left movement directions. RESULTS: The comparison of WE showed significantly larger errors in subjects with chronic neck pain when compared to healthy subjects (p < 0.001). The errors were larger in all of the movement directions tested. Comparison between young and older subjects with chronic neck pain revealed no significant differences (P > 0.05) in cervical WE. CONCLUSIONS: Cervical joint position sense is impaired in subjects with chronic neck pain.