Cervical Activation During Elastic and Manual Resistance

Cervical pain is a condition that affects 14.6% of all adults annually. Of this annual prevalence, 37.3% experience persistent neck pain with periodic recurring episodes. The purpose of this study is to compare muscle activation patterns of the cervical musculature during exercises with elastic versus manual resistance in a neck pain and asymptomatic populations. Methods: A convenience sample of 15 healthy, physically active participants and 15 current patients diagnosed with non-radicular cervical pain will be recruited. Exclusionary criteria will include: current cervical or upper extremity injury (healthy group), history of neck surgery, corticosteroid treatment within the last two weeks, and radicular signs or symptoms. Surface electromyography will be used to quantify the activity level of the bilateral SCM, AS, Cervical Paraspinal (CP), and the Upper Trapezius (UT) muscles while performing a series of 6 exercises with elastic resistance using Thera-Band® Resistance Bands and manual resistance. The area will be prepped and surface electrodes placed on the corresponding muscles. The movement will be standardized by using the peak activation (PA) of each muscle during full flexion-extension movement to create a percentage of peak activation (%PA). The testing battery will consist of 6 exercises with elastic resistance and manual resistance, totaling 12 different trials. Each trial will involve 5 repetitions, each held for 5 seconds. The exercises will include cervical: extension, flexion, left rotation, right rotation, left side bending, and right side bending. The men will use the green and women will use the red Thera-Band® Resistance Band. The order of exercises will be randomized in to two parts to minimize the effect of fatigue. First, cervical flexion and extension with manual and elastic resistance will be randomized. Secondly, the remaining 8 exercises will be randomized. Following each exercise, the patient will rate their perceived level of exertion on the Thera-band® Resistance Intensity Scale for Exercise (RISE).