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BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
Published in: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 1/2011

Open Access 01-12-2011 | Research article

Influence of pain location and hand dominance on scapular kinematics and EMG activities: an exploratory study

Authors: Yi-Fen Shih, Yi-Hsuan Kao

Published in: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders | Issue 1/2011

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Abstract

Background

Assessment of three-dimensional kinematics and electromyography (EMG) activities is common in patients with chronic neck pain. However, the effect of hand dominance and neck pain location on the measurement of movement and EMG characteristics is still unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of neck pain location and arm dominance on the scapular kinematics and muscle EMG activities in patients with chronic neck pain.

Methods

Thirty subjects (10 males, 20 females; mean age (sd): 38 (11.9) years) with chronic neck pain for more than 3 months were recruited. The scapular kinematics and EMG activity of the upper trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles were measured during the bilateral arm elevation task. The three-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to examine the effect of neck pain location and hand dominance on the measurement of kinematics and EMG muscle activities.

Results

The movement of scapular posterior tilt was significantly influenced by arm dominance (P = 0.001) and by the interaction of arm dominance and elevation angle (P = 0.002). The movement of scapular upward/downward rotation was affected by the interaction of arm dominance and elevation angle (P = 0.02). The location of pain did not show any significant influence on the scapular movement and muscle activities.

Conclusions

Hand dominance could have an influence on the scapular kinematics, which should be taken into consideration when describing and comparing neuromuscular characteristics in individuals with chronic neck pain.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Influence of pain location and hand dominance on scapular kinematics and EMG activities: an exploratory study
Authors
Yi-Fen Shih
Yi-Hsuan Kao
Publication date
01-12-2011
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders / Issue 1/2011
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2474
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2474-12-267

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