(Press-News.org) Learning new languages, sending emails, attending a virtual class, or speaking to loved ones halfway around the world are just some of the tasks accomplished by touching a button on a smartphone. Unfortunately, the ease and convenience of modern devices have also come with a painful crick in the neck. The sedentary nature of work and prolonged use of hand-held devices and computers have contributed to a sharp increase in neck pain.
While fatigue in neck muscles has long been suspected of causing pain, the actual mechanical changes in the spine and muscles that precede weakness remain an outstanding question.
Now, using high-precision X-ray imaging to track spine movements during neck exertion tasks, Texas A&M University researchers have discovered that sustained neck exertions cause muscle fatigue that then exaggerate the cervical spine curvature. This leads to neck pain.
Their results are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“We are talking about subtle movements of the neck in statically held positions, which are hard to capture. They are also highly complex because there are so many individual pieces in the neck, or as we call, motion segments,” said Dr. Xudong Zhang, professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. “With this study, we have, for the first time, provided unequivocal evidence that fatigue causes mechanical changes that increase the risk.”
Zhang said this understanding can help to make informed decisions about how we work and the design of products (e.g., head-mounted wearables) that can potentially reduce the risk of neck pain.
Prevalence Of Neck Pain
Neck pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders, and globally, around 2500 people out of 100,000 have some form of neck pain. In fact, by 2050, the estimated global number of neck pain cases is projected to increase by 32.5%. An important risk factor for neck pain is bad posture sustained over long periods. Consequently, working long hours on the computer in a stooped position or prolonged use of smart devices are important contributors to neck pain.
Neck posture is maintained dynamically by the bones of the spine pulled into position by the muscles that attach to them. Although the neck is highly flexible, it is also very unstable.
“The muscle drives movements by producing force,” said Zhang. “We hypothesized that when different muscles’ force production abilities diminish, the bone positions change and that can be captured.”
Measuring Fatigue
To test their idea, they recruited healthy volunteers in a “sustained-till-exhaustion” neck exertion task. The subjects maintained their necks in the neutral, 40° extended (bent backwards) and 40° bent forward for a certain duration. The investigators used electromyography (EMG) to measure muscle electrical activity. In particular, they objectively measured muscle fatigue through changes in the frequency of the EMG signal. In addition, they used high-precision, dynamic X-ray technology to track small-amplitude cervical spine movements that were of the order of a few degrees.
“We imagined the cervical spine as a cantilever bridge,” said Zhang. “If there is excessive and/or repeated stress on the bridge, it might sag or buckle; similarly, if the muscles get fatigued, the cervical spine may deflect.”
The researchers’ experimental paradigm validated that sustained exertions indeed lead to EMG signals of fatigue. Biomechanically, the muscular fatigue modified the spine's mechanics, which then increases the propensity for injury.
Additional Investigation
As a next step, the researchers will develop dynamic biomechanical models, a novel approach that promises to provide a more realistic understanding of the muscular events that precede fatigue. Unlike the model in this study that assumes static neck exertions, the dynamic model will capture subtle but consequential changes in the muscles and bones over time.
Funding for this research is administered by the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), the official research agency for Texas A&M Engineering.
By Texas A&M University
###
END
Texas A&M researchers discover that sustained neck exertions change the spine and muscles, causing pain
For the first time, researchers show sustained exertions could disturb the neck’s mechanical structure and increase the risk of neck pain.
2024-09-05
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Air pollution linked to higher risk of infertility in men
2024-09-05
Long term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution is linked to a higher risk of infertility in men, whereas road traffic noise is linked to a higher risk of infertility in women over 35, finds a Danish study published by The BMJ today.
If these findings are confirmed in future studies, they could help guide strategies to regulate noise and air pollution to protect the general population from these exposures, say the researchers.
Infertility is a major global health problem affecting one in seven couples trying to conceive.
Several ...
Prostate cancer rates across Europe since 1980 “indicative of overdiagnosis” say experts
2024-09-05
Rates of prostate cancer across Europe since 1980 are “indicative of overdiagnosis”, say researchers in a study published by The BMJ today.
Overdiagnosis refers to the detection of harmless cancers that are unlikely to cause symptoms or death during a patient’s lifetime, which can lead to unnecessary treatment, negative impacts on quality of life, and wasted healthcare resources.
The findings show rapid increases in the number of new cases (incidence) in parallel with uptake of so far predominantly opportunistic ...
Children switch to walking and cycling to school after introduction of London’s Ultra-Low Emission Zone
2024-09-05
Four in ten children in Central London who travelled to school by car switched to more active modes of transport, such as walking, cycling, or public transport, following the introduction of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), according to new research. In the comparison area with no ULEZ, Luton, only two in ten children made this switch over the same period.
Car travel contributes to air pollution, a major cause of heart and lung diseases including asthma attacks. Beyond this, it limits children's opportunities for physical activity, hindering their development and mental health, and increasing their risk of obesity and chronic illnesses.
Despite ...
Three top ways to stop smoking
2024-09-05
A major new scientific review of evidence published in the journal Addiction has identified three top strategies for quitting smoking:
Varenicline -- a prescription drug sold under the brand names Chantix and Champix among others.
Cytisine -- a plant-based compound available under prescription in the United Kingdom, in Canada as an over-the-counter natural health product (Cravv®) and throughout central and eastern Europe.
Nicotine e-cigarettes.
These work best when combined with behavioural support, ...
Scientific review reveals top three effective ways to stop smoking
2024-09-05
A major new review of evidence by a team of scientists, including a University of Massachusetts Amherst public health researcher, has identified the three best strategies for quitting smoking:
Varenicline – a prescription drug sold under the brand names Chantix and Champix, among others.
Cytisine – a plant-based compound not widely available in the U.S. but sold as an over-the-counter natural health product (Cravv®) in Canada and throughout Central and Eastern Europe, and available under prescription in the United Kingdom.
Nicotine e-cigarettes.
The review, published ...
HudsonAlpha researchers awarded NIH grant to identify genetic contributors to rare diseases in children
2024-09-05
As genetic sequencing technology becomes more accessible and efficient, researchers have made significant strides in understanding the genetic underpinnings of various diseases. This knowledge has led to a surge in clinical applications of genetic testing, offering hope and improved outcomes for individuals affected by many genetic diseases and disorders. Despite these successes, scientists continue to try to improve genetic testing technologies, because many individuals with rare diseases remain undiagnosed even after current state-of-the-art genomic testing.
Scientists at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology ...
The signals in your brain that tell you when It’s time to move
2024-09-05
A new study, published in Nature Communications this week, led by Jake Gavenas PhD, while he was a PhD student at the Brain Institute at Chapman University, and co-authored by two faculty members of the Brain Institute, Uri Maoz and Aaron Schurger, examines how the brain initiates spontaneous actions. In addition to demonstrating how spontaneous action emerges without environmental input, this study has implications for the origins of slow ramping of neural activity before movement onset—a commonly-observed but poorly understood ...
Hudson River Foundation awards $1.7 million to Cary Institute for river monitoring program
2024-09-04
(Millbrook, NY) The Hudson River Foundation for Science and Environmental Research (HRF) has awarded $1.7 million to Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies to monitor the Hudson River’s lower food web for three years. The project is an integral component of the $6.5 million Hudson River Ecosystem Monitoring Program, a collaboration of HRF and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to develop and implement the next generation comprehensive ecosystem monitoring program on the Hudson.
Cary’s Chris Solomon will lead the Interim Lower Food Web Survey to provide ...
$7.5 million grant to guard against AI-driven misinformation
2024-09-04
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana University researchers will lead a multi-institutional team of experts in areas such as informatics, psychology, communications and folklore to assess the role that artificial intelligence may play in strengthening the influence of online communications — including misinformation and radicalizing messages — under a $7.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense.
The project is one of 30 recently funded by the department’s Multidisciplinary University ...
Seeing like a butterfly: Optical invention enhances camera capabilities
2024-09-04
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Butterflies can see more of the world than humans, including more colors and the field oscillation direction, or polarization, of light. This special ability enables them to navigate with precision, forage for food and communicate with one another. Other species, like the mantis shrimp, can sense an even wider spectrum of light, as well as the circular polarization, or spinning states, of light waves. They use this capability to signal a “love code,” which helps them find and be discovered by mates.
Inspired ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
New lignin-based hydrogel breakthrough for wound healing and controlled drug release
Enhancing compatibility and biodegradability of PLA/biomass composites via forest residue torrefaction
Time alone heightens ‘threat alert’ in teenagers – even when connecting on social media
Study challenges long-held theories on how migratory birds navigate
Unlocking the secrets of ketosis
AI analysis of PET/CT images can predict side effects of immunotherapy in lung cancer
Making an impact. Research studies a new side of helmet safety: faceguard failures
Specific long term condition combinations have major role in NHS ‘winter pressures’
Men often struggle with transition to fatherhood amid lack of targeted information and support
More green space linked to fewer preventable deaths in most deprived areas of UK
Immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab improves outcomes for patients with soft tissue sarcoma
A formula for life? New model calculates chances of intelligent beings in our Universe and beyond
Could a genetic flaw be the key to stopping people craving sugary treats?
Experts urge complex systems approach to assess A.I. risks
Fossil fuel CO2 emissions increase again in 2024
Winners of Applied Microbiology International Horizon Awards 2024 announced
A toolkit for unraveling the links between intimate partner violence, trauma and substance misuse
Can everyday physical activity improve cognitive health in middle age?
Updated guidance reaffirms CPR with breaths essential for cardiac arrest following drowning
Study reveals medical boards rarely discipline physician misinformation
New treatment helps children with rare spinal condition regain ability to walk
'Grow Your Own' teacher prep pipeline at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette funded by US Department of Education
Lab-grown human immune system uncovers weakened response in cancer patients
More than 5 million Americans would be eligible for psychedelic therapy, study finds
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia researchers find community health workers play critical role in coordinating asthma care across home, school and community
Comprehensive Genomic Profiling leads to better patient outcomes, new joint study says
Animated movie characters with strabismus are more likely to be villains, study finds
How retailers change ordering strategy when a supplier starts its own direct channel
Young coral use metabolic tricks to resist bleaching
Protecting tax whistleblowers pays off
[Press-News.org] Texas A&M researchers discover that sustained neck exertions change the spine and muscles, causing painFor the first time, researchers show sustained exertions could disturb the neck’s mechanical structure and increase the risk of neck pain.