Upper Quadrant Pain and Disability Associated with a Cross-Sectional Area of Deep and Superficial Neck Muscles: A Computed Tomography Study.

STUDY DESIGN: An analytical cross-sectional computed tomography (CT) study. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of the cross-sectional area (CSA) and density of neck muscles (sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezius, levator scapulae, anterior scalene, longus coli, longus capitis) with upper quadrant pain and disability. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Neck pain, a common condition, causes substantial disability to individuals. The deep cervical flexor muscles are impaired in persons with neck pain. These muscles play a greater role in maintaining stable head postures, whereas, superficial muscles are responsible for peak exertions and reinforcing spinal stability at terminal head postures. METHODS: Two hundred thirty consecutive individuals suffering from neck pain were referred to CT scans; 124/230 complied with the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Subjects were interviewed and the measurements of the CSA and muscle density were extracted from the scans. RESULTS: Muscles associated with quick disability of the arms, shoulders, and hand questionnaire (QDASH) were the lateral posterior group (LPG) CSA C3-C4 on the right side (beta = -0.31, P = 0.029); the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) CSA C3-C4 on the left side (beta = 0.29, P = 0.031); the LPG CSA C3-C4 on the left side (beta = -0.49, P = 0.000); the LCM CSA C5-C6 on the right side (beta = -0.19, P = 0.049); the LPG CSA C5-C6 on the right side (beta = -0.36, P = 0.012); and the LPG CSA C5-C6 on the left side (beta = -0.42, P = 0.002). Further analyses with radiculopathy acting as an augmenting/enhancing variable (moderator), showed an increase in the model strength (r2 = 0.25) with a stronger prediction of pain and disability. Muscle measurements did not predict neck disability index (NDI) scores. CONCLUSION: By using an accurate measuring tool, we found an association of the deep and superficial neck muscles' CSA with upper extremities' pain and disability. When performing manual work, a special load is placed on the shoulders and neck muscles. Future research should focus on examining the effectiveness of exercise-type intervention programs to strengthen the deep neck and upper extremities' muscles in order to prevent muscle fatigue.Level of Evidence: 2.

Association between cervical disc disease and lesions of multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Cervical discopathy and demyelinating lesions often co-exist in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Our study examines the possible association between these two pathologies. METHODS: Medical records and cervical magnetic resonance imaging scans of MS patients with cervical discopathy who were seen at our MS clinic during 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. The severity of the disc disease was classified as grade I (no compression), grade II (compression of the dural sac) and grade III (cord compression). The spinal cord in each scan was divided into six segments corresponding to the intervertebral space of the spine (C1-C6). Each segment was defined as containing demyelinating lesion and disc pathology (group 1), demyelinating lesion without disc pathology (group 2), disc pathology without demyelinating lesion (group 3) and no demyelinating lesion or disc pathology (group 4). Fisher's exact test was used to test the association between demyelinating lesions and disc pathology. RESULTS: Thirty-four MS patients with cervical discopathy were included in the study (26 females; average age 42.9 ± 13.7 years; average disease duration 8.4 ± 5.4 years). A total of 204 spinal cord segments were evaluated. Twenty-four segments were classified as group 1, 27 segments as group 2, 52 segments as group 3 and 101 segments as group 4. There was no association between demyelinating lesions and the grade of disc disease (p = 0.1 for grade I, p = 0.3 for grade II and p = 1 for grade III disc disease). CONCLUSION: Our study did not find any association between cervical disc disease and demyelinating spinal cord lesion.