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Normative database of isometric cervical strength in a healthy population
Gerardo L Garcés1, Daniel Medina, Ljubo Milutinovic
1Instituto Canario de Ortopedia y Traumatología, Departamento de Ciencias Médicas y Quirúrgicas, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. ggar@step.es
Objectives:
This was a descriptive study involving maximal and average isometric strength measurements of the cervical musculature. The purpose of this study was 1) to determine the test-retest reliability of a computerized dynamometer for measuring muscular strength of the neck flexor and extensor muscles in a healthy population, and 2) to afford a normative database of the maximal and averaged isometric strength of the cervical flexors and extensors in a healthy population of 94 volunteers. The literature contains only a few descriptive studies pertaining to strength levels of the cervical musculature; none of these studies used a computerized dynamometer to determine cervical isometric strength. Only a few studies include cervical flexor and extensor isometric strength, evaluating its normal ratio as well as their correlation to body mass index.
Methods:
Testing was carried out using a computerized dynamometer to measure isometric cervical strength at 0 degrees (neutral), 5 degrees, and 10 degrees of flexion and extension of the neck.
Results:
Men show approximately 30 to 40% more strength than women both for flexion and extension at all angles and age groups. Neutral positioning showed the maximum strength values for both flexion and extension.
Conclusion:
There was a significant negative correlation between age and cervical strength and a significant positive correlation between weight and strength and between height and strength. However, the flexor/extensor ratio was maintained around 0.6 in all ages.