Cervical Sensorimotor Control Does Not Change Over Time and Is Not Related to Chronic Idiopathic Neck Pain Characteristics: A 6-Month Longitudinal Observational Study

Abstract

Abstract Background Cervical sensorimotor control (CSMC) outcomes have been suggested to be important in the assessment of individuals with neck pain, despite the lack of consistent supporting evidence that CSMC skills are related to neck pain. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate whether CSMC changes over time in individuals with chronic idiopathic neck pain and whether neck pain characteristics are associated with CSMC. Design A longitudinal observational study was performed. Methods A total 50 participants with chronic idiopathic neck pain and 50 matched participants who were healthy (controls) completed 7 CSMC tests (including 14 test conditions): joint position error, postural balance, subjective visual vertical, head tilt response, The Fly, smooth pursuit neck torsion, and head steadiness. Neck pain characteristics included pain intensity (visual analog scale), pain duration, and neck disability (Neck Disability Index). Linear mixed models were used to investigate whether any factors were associated with changes in CSMC. Results Neck pain intensity was associated with 1 of 14 CSMC test conditions (balance with torsion and eyes open), and neck disability was associated with balance with eyes open and high-load head steadiness. Other factors, including sex, age, body mass index, physical activity levels, and neck pain duration, showed no association with CSMC. Limitations Although all other tests involved computerized data collection, the joint position error test was administered manually, introducing the risk of researcher bias. Conclusions The few associations between test conditions and neck pain characteristics were at best weak; hence, these are likely to be chance findings. These results suggest that CSMC may not be associated with improvement/worsening of chronic idiopathic neck pain, spawning debate on the clinical usefulness of CSMC tests.