Background & Aims
Background: Cervical proprioception, referring to the awareness of the head’s position in space, plays a crucial role in maintaining postural control and preventing musculoskeletal injuries. While previous research has established the importance of cervical proprioception in motor function, its specific impact on body awareness and pain-related aspects remains less explored, particularly in healthy young individuals.
Aim: This prospective cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the impact of cervical proprioceptive error on body awareness, pressure pain threshold, pressure pain tolerance, and temporal summation in healthy young individuals.
Methods
Methods: The study involved 48 healthy participants with a mean age of 22.34±1.33 and a mean body mass index of 23.08±3.18. Cervical proprioception was assessed using the ‘head position error test’ in both right and left rotation directions with the CROM device. Participants were then divided into two groups based on the presence of proprioceptive deviation (>5°). Body awareness was assessed using the ‘Body Awareness Questionnaire,’ while pressure pain threshold, pain tolerance, and temporal summation were measured bilaterally with an algometer device (2 cm lateral to the C2 and C7 spinal processes, midpoint of the upper part of the trapezius, and over the temporomandibular joint) in both groups. Subsequently, the two groups were compared using independent samples t-tests.
Results
Results: According to the analyses, a significant decrease in body awareness was observed in the experimental group with proprioceptive error compared to the control group (p: 0.006). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of pressure pain threshold, pain tolerance, and temporal summation (p < 0.05).
Conclusions
The current study revealed that, while pain threshold, pain tolerance, and temporal summation showed no significant changes in healthy young individuals with cervical proprioceptive errors, there was a noteworthy decrease in body awareness.
Our study highlights the significant impact of cervical proprioceptive disturbances on body awareness, independent of musculoskeletal injuries and/or pain, emphasizing the importance of proprioception in injury prevention.
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