Study design: In a single blinded procedure, quantified cervical clinical tests were performed on machine operators with and without subjective reports of neck pain.
Objectives: To evaluate whether subjective reports of neck pain are associated with limited and painful cervical spine mobility.
Summary of background data: Spinal motion evaluation and pain rating are commonly used for assessing impairment in patients with spinal disorders. However, it is still unclear how cervical spinal motion and corresponding pain rating are affected by subjective reports of neck pain.
Methods: Forty-nine male forest machine operators completed the Standardized Nordic questionnaire on musculoskeletal symptoms. Maximal voluntary cervical spinal flexion-extension, bilateral axial rotation, and lateral flexion were measured with a goniometer ad modum Myrin, while corresponding pain was rated on Borg's scale.
Results: Nineteen men (38.8%) reported no neck pain within the past 12 months, nine men (18.4%) reported pain during the past 12 months (but not during the past 7 days), and 21 men (42.8%) had experienced neck pain during the past 7 days. The results of two of the range-of-motion tests (flexion and left axial rotation) and three of the pain ratings (during flexion, extension, and left axial rotation) differed significantly between men who reported pain the past 7 days and those with no pain, and they correlated significantly with the severity of pain as reported in the questionnaire.
Conclusions: Many forest machine operators reporting neck pain in the Nordic questionnaire did have limited and painful cervical spine mobility. Range-of-motion tests may be useful tools to describe impairment and constitute a basis for assessment for therapeutic interventions.