An Electromyographic Analysis of the Deep Cervical Flexor Muscles in Performance of Craniocervical Flexion
Open Access
- 1 October 2003
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in PTJ: Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal
- Vol. 83 (10), 899-906
- https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/83.10.899
Abstract
Background and Purpose. This study evaluated an electromyographic technique for the measurement of muscle activity of the deep cervical flexor (DCF) muscles. Electromyographic signals were detected from the DCF, sternocleidomastoid (SCM), and anterior scalene (AS) muscles during performance of the craniocervical flexion (CCF) test, which involves performing 5 stages of increasing craniocervical flexion range of motion—the anatomical action of the DCF muscles. Subjects. Ten volunteers without known pathology or impairment participated in this study. Methods. Root-mean-square (RMS) values were calculated for the DCF, SCM, and AS muscles during performance of the CCF test. Myoelectric signals were recorded from the DCF muscles using bipolar electrodes placed over the posterior oropharyngeal wall. Reliability estimates of normalized RMS values were obtained by evaluating intraclass correlation coefficients and the normalized standard error of the mean (SEM). Results. A linear relationship was evident between the amplitude of DCF muscle activity and the incremental stages of the CCF test (F=239.04, df=36, P<.0001). Normalized SEMs in the range 6.7% to 10.3% were obtained for the normalized RMS values for the DCF muscles, providing evidence of reliability for these variables. Discussion and Conclusion. This approach for obtaining a direct measure of the DCF muscles, which differs from those previously used, may be useful for the examination of these muscles in future electromyographic applications.Keywords
This publication has 17 references indexed in Scilit:
- A Randomized Controlled Trial of Exercise and Manipulative Therapy for Cervicogenic HeadacheSpine, 2002
- Deep Cervical Flexor Muscle Dysfunction in WhiplashJournal of Musculoskeletal Pain, 2000
- Further Clinical Clarification of the Muscle Dysfunction in Cervical HeadacheCephalalgia, 1999
- Influence of Muscle Morphometry and Moment Arms on the Moment-Generating Capacity of Human Neck MusclesSpine, 1998
- Physiotherapy in Respiratory CarePublished by Springer Science and Business Media LLC ,1996
- Noninvasive Analysis of Human Neck Muscle FunctionSpine, 1995
- Fiber composition and fiber transformations in neck muscles of patients with dysfunction of the cervical spineJournal of Orthopaedic Research, 1995
- Longus colli has a postural function on cervical curvatureSurgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 1994
- Neck Muscle Activity and 3-D Head Kinematics During Quasi-Static and Dynamic Tracking MovementsPublished by Springer Science and Business Media LLC ,1990
- The integrated roles of longus colli and sternocleidomastoid muscles: An electromyographic studyThe Anatomical Record, 1973