Reliability of isometric neck and shoulder muscle strength measurements between symptomatic and asymptomatic female office workers using a hand-held dynamometer
Keywords:
hand-held dynamometer, neck and shoulder muscle, office workers, reliability, strength measurement, symptomaticAbstract
In order to evaluate neck/shoulder muscle function in asymptomatic and symptomatic office workers, it is necessary to develop clinical tests that can be applied in the clinical settings without using complicated instruments and the workers can be tolerate for the resistance. However, there was a lack of evidence in the reliability of isometric maximal strength by using the method of hand-held dynamometer (HHD) specifically in the female office workers. The objective of this study was to determine the intra- and inter-tester reliability of neck/shoulder strength measurement using a HHD among asymptomatic and symptomatic office workers. A HHD was used to evaluate neck and shoulder strength in 15 asymptomatic and 15 symptomatic office workers. The maximal isometric strength was tested in cervical flexor, extensor, and lateral flexor; and the right shoulder muscles as upper trapezius, lower trapezius and anterior deltoid, using both hands to apply isometric resistance for 5 seconds for each. The test was taken twice for 3-7 days. The maximal force of 3 trials for each test position was used for statistical analysis. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for intra-tester reliability (ICC3, 1) showed moderate to high reliability ranging from 0.70 to 0.94 for all test directions from trial 1 to trial 2. High inter-tester reliability (ICC2, 1) between 2 assessors with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), ranging from 0.84 to 0.96. The result indicated that a HHD is a reliable tool for assessing the maximal isometric test of the neck and shoulder muscles in office workers with and without neck/shoulder symptoms.
References
Almosnino, S., Pelland, L., & Stevenson, J. M. (2010). Retest reliability of force-time variables of neck muscles under isometric conditions. Journal of athletic training, 45(5), 453-458.
Baldwin, C. E., Paratz, J. D., & Bersten, A. D. (2013). Muscle strength assessment in critically ill patients with handheld dynamometry: an investigation of reliability, minimal detectable change, and time to peak force generation. Journal of Critical Care, 28(1), 77-86.
Baschung Pfister, P., de Bruin, E. D., Sterkele, I., Maurer, B., de Bie, R. A., & Knols, R. H. (2018). Manual muscle testing and hand-held dynamometry in people with inflammatory myopathy: An intra- and interrater reliability and validity study. PLoS One, 13(3), e0194531. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0194531.
Bau, J. G., Chia, T., Wei, S. H., Li, Y. H., & Kuo, F. C. (2017). Correlations of Neck/Shoulder Perfusion Characteristics and Pain Symptoms of the Female Office Workers with Sedentary Lifestyle. PLoS One, 12(1), e0169318. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169318.
Bruls, V. E., Bastiaenen, C. H., & de Bie, R. A. (2015). Prognostic factors of complaints of arm, neck, and/or shoulder: a systematic review of prospective cohort studies. Pain, 156(5), 765-788.
Celik, S., Celik, K., Dirimese, E., Taşdemir, N., Arik, T., & Büyükkara, İ. (2018). Determination of pain in musculoskeletal system reported by office workers and the pain risk factors. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 31(1), 91-111.
Chen, X., O'Leary, S., &.Johnston V. (2018). Modifiable individual and work-related factors associated with neck pain in 740 office workers: a cross-sectional study. Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy, S1413-3555(17), 30632-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.bjpt.2018.03.003.
Davies, M., Moore, I. S., Moran, P., Mathema, P., & Ranson, C. A. (2016). Cervical range of motion, cervical and shoulder strength in senior versus age-grade Rugby Union International front-row forwards. Physical Therapy in Sport, 19:36-42.
Delp, L., & Wang, P. C. (2013). Musculoskeletal disorders among clerical workers in Los Angeles: a labor management approach. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 56(9), 1072-1081.
Dvir, Z., & Prushansky, T. (2008). Cervical muscles strength testing: methods and clinical implications. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 31(7), 518-524.
Eckner, J. T., Oh, Y. K., Joshi, M. S., Richardson, J. K., & Ashton-Miller, J. A. (2014). Effect of neck muscle strength and anticipatory cervical muscle activation on the kinematic response of the head to impulsive loads. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 42(3), 566-576.
Geary, K., Green, B. S., & Delahunt, E. (2013). Intrarater reliability of neck strength measurement of rugby union players using a handheld dynamometer. Journal of Manipulative & Physiological Therapeutics, 36(7), 444-449.
Hopkins, W. G. (2000). Measures of reliability in sport medicine and science. Sports Medicine, 560-567.
Jun, D., Zoe, M., Johnston, V., & O'Leary, S. (2017). Physical risk factors for developing non-specific neck pain in office workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 90(5), 373-410.
Juul, T., Langberg, H., Enoch, F., & Søgaard, K. (2013). The intra- and inter-rater reliability of five clinical muscle performance tests in patients with and without neck pain. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 14, 339.
Jørgensen, R., Ris, I., Falla, D., & Juul-Kristensen, B. (2014). Reliability, construct and discriminative validity of clinical testing in subjects with and without chronic neck pain. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 15, 408.
Kaliniene, G., Ustinaviciene, R., Skemiene, L., & Januskevicius, V. (2013). Associations between neck musculoskeletal complaints and work related factors among public service computer workers in Kaunas. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 26(5), 670-681.
Kendall, F. P., McCreary, E. K., Provance, P. G., Rodgers, M. M., & Romani, W. A. (2005). Muscles testing and function with posture and pain. 5th edition. 2005. Baltimore, USA: MD Lippincott Williams & Wilkin.
Kubas, C., Chen, Y. W., Echeverri, S., McCann, S. L., Denhoed, M. J., Walker, C. J., Kennedy, C. N., & Reid, W. D. (2017). Reliability and Validity of Cervical Range of Motion and Muscle Strength Testing. Journal of Strength Conditioning Research, 31(4), 1087-1096.
Maakip, I., Keegel, T., & Oakman, J. (2016). Prevalence and predictors for musculoskeletal discomfort in Malaysian office workers: Investigating explanatory factors for a developing country. Applied Ergonomics, 53, 252-257.
Mathiassen, S. E., Winkel, J., & Hägg, G. M. (1995). Normalization of surface EMG amplitude from the upper trapezius muscle in ergonomic studies – A review. Journal of Electromyography &
Kinesiology, 5(4), 197-226.
McLean, L. (2005).The effect of postural correction on muscle activation amplitudes recorded from the cervicobrachial region. Journal of Electromyography & Kinesiology, 15(6), 527-535.
Montakarn, C., & Nuttika, N. (2016). Physical activity levels and prevalence of low back pain in Thai call-center operators. Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 20(3), 125-128.
Muñoz-García, D., Gil-Martínez, A., López-López, A., Lopez-de-Uralde-Villanueva, I., La Touche, R., & Fernández-Carnero, J. (2016). Chronic Neck Pain and Cervico-Craniofacial Pain Patients Express Similar Levels of Neck Pain-Related Disability, Pain Catastrophizing, and Cervical Range of Motion. Pain Research and Treatment, 7296032, DOI: 10.1155/2016/7296032.
Nejati, P., Lotfian, S., Moezy, A., & Nejati, M. (2015). The study of correlation between forward head posture and neck pain in Iranian office workers. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 28(2), 295-303.
Robertson, M. M., Huang, Y. H., & Larson, N. (2016). The relationship among computer work, environmental design, and musculoskeletal and visual discomfort: examining the moderating role of supervisory relations and co-worker support. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 89(1), 7-22.
Sadeghian, F., Raei, M., & Amiri, M. (2014). Persistent of Neck/Shoulder Pain among Computer Office Workers with Specific Attention to Pain Expectation, Somatization Tendency, and Beliefs. International journal of preventive medicine, 5(9), 1169-7117.
Segarra, V., Dueñas, L., Torres, R., Falla, D., Jull, G., & Lluch E. (2015). Inter-and intra-tester reliability of a battery of cervical movement control dysfunction tests. Manual Therapy, 20(4), 570-579.
Shariat, A., Cardoso, J. R., Cleland, J. A., Danaee, M., Ansari, N. N., Kargarfard, M., & Mohd Tamrin, S. B. (2018). Prevalence rate of neck, shoulder and lower back pain in association with age, body mass index and gender among Malaysian office workers. Work, 60(2), 191-199.
Szeto, G. P., Straker, L. M., & O'Sullivan, P. B. (2005). A comparison of symptomatic and asymptomatic office workers performing monotonous keyboard work--1: neck and shoulder muscle recruitment patterns. Manual therapy, 10(4), 270-280.
Vannebo, K. T., Iversen, V. M., Fimland, M. S., & Mork, P. J. (2018). Test-retest reliability of a handheld dynamometer for measurement of isometric cervical muscle strength. Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, 31(3), 557-565.
Walter, S. D., Eliasziw, M., & Donner, A. (1998). Sample size and optimal designs for reliability studies. Statistics in Medicine, 17(1), 101-110.
Westrick, R. B., Duffey, M. L., Cameron, K. L., Gerber, J. P., & Owens, B. D. (2013). Isometric shoulder strength reference values for physically active collegiate males and females. Sports Health, 5(1), 17-21.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
![Creative Commons License](http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/4.0/88x31.png)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.