Changes in microcirculation of the trapezius muscle during a prolonged computer task.

The aim of this study is to investigate if there is a change in oxygen saturation and blood flow in the different parts of the trapezius muscle in office workers with and without trapezius myalgia during a standardized computer task. Twenty right-handed office workers participated; ten were recruited based on pain in the trapezius and ten as matching controls. Subjects performed a combination of typing and mousing tasks for 60 min at a standardized workstation. Muscle tissue oxygenation and blood flow data were collected from the upper trapezius (UT), the middle trapezius (MT) and the lower trapezius (LT), both on the left and right side at seven moments (at baseline and every tenth minute during the 1-h typing task) by use of the oxygen to see device. In all three parts of the trapezius muscle, the oxygen saturation and blood flow decreased significantly over time in a similar pattern (p < 0.001). Oxygenation of the left and right UT was significantly higher compared to the other muscle parts (p < 0.001). Oxygen saturation for the MT was significantly lower in the cases compared to the control group (p = 0.027). Blood flow of the UT on the right side was significantly lower than the blood flow on the left side (p = 0.026). The main finding of this study was that 1 h of combined workstation tasks resulted in decreased oxygen saturation and blood flow in all three parts of the trapezius muscle. Future research should focus on the influence of intervention strategies on these parameters.

Identifying prognostic factors predicting outcome in patients with chronic neck pain after multimodal treatment: A retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to identify possible prognostic factors to predict drop-out and favorable outcome in patients following a multimodal treatment program at an outpatient rehabilitation clinic. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 437 patients with chronic neck pain involved in an exercise-based rehabilitation program of an outpatient rehabilitation center between January 2008 and November 2011. Prognostic factors were analyzed through a univariate and a multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression revealed that a higher age (OR=0.960), presence of headache (OR=0.436) or low back pain (OR=0.525), and having low levels of depression (OR=1.044) increase the odds to complete the multimodal treatment program. A high NDI-score (OR=0.945), a high NRS-score for pain in the upper extremities (OR=0.862), a low NRS score for pain in the neck (OR=1.372), and a trauma in the patient's history (OR=0.411) decrease the odds of having a favorable outcome after the given treatment program. CONCLUSION: It is important to assess these prognostic factors as they may help therapists to identify patients with a good prognosis or patients at risk. For those at risk, this would allow the treatment approach to be redirected to address their specific needs.