Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Sensors
Volume
23
Issue
9
Publisher
MDPI
School
Centre for Human Performance / School of Medical and Health Sciences
RAS ID
60232
Funders
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Abstract
In chronic shoulder pain, adaptations in the nervous system such as in motoneuron excitability, could contribute to impairments in scapular muscles, perpetuation and recurrence of pain and reduced improvements during rehabilitation. The present cross-sectional study aims to compare trapezius neural excitability between symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects. In 12 participants with chronic shoulder pain (symptomatic group) and 12 without shoulder pain (asymptomatic group), the H reflex was evoked in all trapezius muscle parts, through C3/4 nerve stimulation, and the M-wave through accessory nerve stimulation. The current intensity to evoke the maximum H reflex, the latency and the maximum peak-to-peak amplitude of both the H reflex and M-wave, as well as the ratio between these two variables, were calculated. The percentage of responses was considered. Overall, M-waves were elicited in most participants, while the H reflex was elicited only in 58–75% or in 42–58% of the asymptomatic and symptomatic participants, respectively. A comparison between groups revealed that the symptomatic group presented a smaller maximum H reflex as a percentage of M-wave from upper trapezius and longer maximal H reflex latency from the lower trapezius (p < 0.05). Subjects with chronic shoulder pain present changes in trapezius H reflex parameters, highlighting the need to consider trapezius neuromuscular control in these individuals’ rehabilitation.
DOI
10.3390/s23094217
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Melo, A. S., Taylor, J. L., Ferreira, R., Cunha, B., Ascenção, M., Fernandes, M., ... & Sousa, A. S. (2023). Differences in Trapezius Muscle H-Reflex between Asymptomatic Subjects and Symptomatic Shoulder Pain Subjects. Sensors, 23(9), 4217. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23094217