The Influence of Hip Position on Neck Kinematics and Muscle Activity in Healthy and Non-Specific Neck Pain Subjects

Neck pain is a widespread problem in society with many variables influencing its cause. The angle of the hip may influence the kinematics of the neck in addition to the myoelectrical activation of the surrounding musculature that contributes to the development of neck pain. The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in spinal inclination angles and muscle activity in the neck using a 10 deg wedge in a forward slope, neutral and rear slope seated position. Forty subjects were recruited for this study. Each subject sat at a workstation under the 3 different sitting positions for ten minutes for each condition. During this time, the subjects typed a prompt for seven minutes and rested for the remaining 3 minutes. This was repeated for each position. Inclination angles and electromyography data were collected at different intervals during each trial. The results showed a significant difference in mean inclination angle among the three positions in the pain group (p<0.01). The head and neck inclination angles were higher in the rear sloped position compared to the forward slope (p<0.001). In the pain group, there was no significant change in the mean muscle activity in the UT in the forward slope as compared to the rear slope and neutral positions (p ≤0.01). The results of this study suggest that the forward sloped position provides a favorable body alignment compared to the other positions which may then lead to less unwanted muscle activation.