Effects of chronic neck pain on grip strength and psychomotor skills in adults

In this study, it was aimed to investigate the effect of neck pain on grip strength and psychomotor skills in adults with pain and diagnosed with chronic neck pain according to the Visual Analogue Scale. The study was conducted with 80 adults between the age of 19 and 74. Individuals were divided into Group 1- Control Group (n=40) and Group 2- Patient Group (n=40). Information such as age, height, body weight and occupation of the groups were noted. Visual Analogue Scale and Neck Disability Index were applied to both groups; Hand grip strength with Jamar Hydraulic Hand Dynamometer, finger lateral grip strength with pinchmeter and psychomotor skills with Purdue Pegboard Test were evaluated. In this study, a significant decrease was found in the hand grip strength, finger lateral grip strength and psychomotor skills in the patient group compared to the control group. In addition, a strong positive correlation was found between the Visual Analogue Scale results and the Neck Disability Index score. As the Neck Disability Index score increased in the patient group, there was a decrease in grip strength and psychomotor skills. When the relationship between the psychomotor skills and grip strength of the patients and chronic neck pain is examined, it is thought that the data obtained may be a guide for expanding the treatment plans of the patients in the future. Key Words: chronic neck pain, grip strength, neck disability index, psychomotor skill, visual analogue scale