Investigating the relationship between non-pathological neck pain and hand grip strength: A cross-sectional study.

Background:: Non-pathological neck pain (NPNP) is neck pain without a known cause. It might weaken the hand grip strength (HGS) by affecting the neck, shoulder, and upper extremity muscles. Head-neck positions (HNPs) can have a significant impact on neck pain. However, no previous study investigated the effect of NPNP and different HNPs on the HGS among healthcare professionals (HCPs).

Objective:: To determine how HNPs influence the HGS of medical personnel with NPNP.

Method:: A cross-sectional study recruited 46 healthcare professionals: 21 (45.7%) with and 25 (54.3%) without NPNP. A dynamometer, cervical range of motion, and visual analogue scale measured HGS, HNPs, and NPNPs, respectively. Participants were instructed to squeeze the handgrip dynamometer handle in 90-degree elbow flexion as much as possible from a seated position to measure HGS from the neutral head position (NHP), 40° head neck flexion (HFP40°), and 30° head neck extension (HEP30°). Data differences were analysed using ANOVA. The significance level was set at p < 0.05.

Results:: The mean HGS for the dominant hand in NHP, HFP40°, and HEP30° was 29.27 (±9.03), 27.24 (±9.08), and 26.37 (±9.32), respectively, while for the non-dominant hand it was 27.45 (±9.62), 25.23 (±9.36), and 24.61 (±10.17). There was no significant correlation between HNPs and HGS. However, the only significant difference was between dominant HGS in the NHP and non-dominant HGS in the HEP30° (P = 0.018). Furthermore, NPNP had no significant effect on the HGS (P = 0.325).

Conclusion:: NPNP had no significant influence on HGS in any of the three HNPs for either hand. Future studies should include other HNPs and other potential variables such as age, gender, weight, and pain intensity.