Author(s)

Tomonori Kenmoku^1,2*, Takane Suzuki³, Nobuyasu Ochiai⁴, Tatsuki Ebata², Genyo Miyajima⁵, Naoshige Nagura¹, Mitsufumi Nakawaki¹, Ryo Tazawa¹, Sho Hiramatsu¹, Hironori Yamazaki⁴, Yu Sasaki⁴, Takeshi Yamaguchi⁴, Eiko Hashimoto⁴, Kenji Onuma¹, Naonobu Takahira⁶, Kazuhisa Takahashi⁴, Masashi Takaso¹

¹Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Japan.
²Sakura Orthopaedic Hospital, Sakura, Japan.
³Department of Bioenvironmental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba, Japan.
⁴Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba, Japan.
⁵Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Kitasato Medical Center, Kitamoto, Japan.
⁶School of Allied Health Science, Kitasato University, Sagamihara, Japan.

Background: The relationship between chronic neck and shoulder pain and posture remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between chronic neck and shoulder pain and spinal sagittal alignment in standing posture in younger generation. Methods: Subjects included 57 females and 32 males (average age, 29.9 ± 5.7 years). All subjects were 20s or 30s. Spinal curvature was assessed using SpinalMouse. The subjects were also divided into a normal group (VAS zero group) and a pain group by VAS results. Statistical analysis was performed by Student’s t-test. Significance was defined as p < 0.05. Results: The normal group and pain group included 29 and 60 subjects, respectively. In terms of location of pain, thirty-one subjects felt neck pain, 50 felt pain above the scapula, and 17 felt pain between the thoracic spine and scapula. Thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis in the pain group were significantly higher than those in the normal group (p = 0.013 and p = 0.020, respectively). Thoracic kyphosis in subjects with neck pain or pain above scapula was significantly higher than that in subjects without pain (p = 0.0075 and p = 0.025, respectively). Lumbar lordosis in subjects with pain above the scapula or interscapula was significantly higher than that in subjects without pain (p = 0.016).

Choronic Neck and Shoulder Pain, Sagittal Alignment of the Spine, Thoracic Kyphosis, Lumber Lordosis

Kenmoku, T. , Suzuki, T. , Ochiai, N. , Ebata, T. , Miyajima, G. , Nagura, N. , Nakawaki, M. , Tazawa, R. , Hiramatsu, S. , Yamazaki, H. , Sasaki, Y. , Yamaguchi, T. , Hashimoto, E. , Onuma, K. , Takahira, N. , Takahashi, K. and Takaso, M. (2015) The Relationship between Neck and Shoulder Pain and the Sagittal Alignment of the Spine in Standing in Younger Generation. Open Journal of Orthopedics, 5, 337-344. doi: 10.4236/ojo.2015.511045.