Research Article

Anxiety, Mobility, Disability and Proprioception in Adults with Mild Neck Pain: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background. Studies on subclinical neck pain (SCNP), known as mild pain, are lacking in literature. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in anxiety, neck movement, disability, and proprioception in people with chronic SCNP (12 females and 4 males, Age: 28.1±4.0) and people without neck pain (17 females and 6 males, Age: 25.8±3.1).

Background. Studies on subclinical neck pain (SCNP), known as mild pain, are lacking in literature. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in anxiety, neck movement, disability, and proprioception in people with chronic SCNP (12 females and 4 males, Age: 28.1±4.0) and people without neck pain (17 females and 6 males, Age: 25.8±3.1).

Methods. A cross-sectional study with thirty nine participants was conducted. Participants were instructed to score their pain using the visual analog scale (VAS) (pain group: <4/10 and normal group: 0/10), anxiety level with the State-Trait anxiety inventory (STAI), and neck disability with the neck disability index (NDI). In addition, active range of motion (AROM) and joint position error (JPE) were assessed in participants of both groups.

Results. There was no significant difference in mean baseline characteristics between the two groups. Participants in the pain group reported significantly higher median NDI (p=<0.001) and higher mean current STAI_S (p=0.032) scores than participants with no pain. No significant differences in mean flexion, extension, lateral flexion right, lateral flexion left, rotation right, or rotation left were found between groups (p=0.95, p=0.68, p=0.29, p=0.59, p=0.70, and p=0.17, respectively). In addition, there were no significant differences in mean cervical spine joint position error flexion, extension, rotation right, and rotation left by study group (p=0.65, p=0.33, p=0.26, and p=0.23 respectively.
Conclusion. SCNP can substantially influence functional ability and anxiety levels, especially among students in higher education institutions dealing with additional stressors. The interaction between pain intensity, disability, and anxiety underscores the potential for a detrimental feedback loop, underscoring the significance of early intervention.
Methods. A cross-sectional study with thirty nine participants was conducted. Participants were instructed to score their pain using the visual analog scale (VAS) (pain group: <4/10 and normal group: 0/10), anxiety level with the State-Trait anxiety inventory (STAI), and neck disability with the neck disability index (NDI). In addition, active range of motion (AROM) and joint position error (JPE) were assessed in participants of both groups.
Results. There was no significant difference in mean baseline characteristics between the two groups. Participants in the pain group reported significantly higher median NDI (p=<0.001) and higher mean current STAI_S (p=0.032) scores than participants with no pain. No significant differences in mean flexion, extension, lateral flexion right, lateral flexion left, rotation right, or rotation left were found between groups (p=0.95, p=0.68, p=0.29, p=0.59, p=0.70, and p=0.17, respectively). In addition, there were no significant differences in mean cervical spine joint position error flexion, extension, rotation right, and rotation left by study group (p=0.65, p=0.33, p=0.26, and p=0.23 respectively.
Conclusion. SCNP can substantially influence functional ability and anxiety levels, especially among students in higher education institutions dealing with additional stressors. The interaction between pain intensity, disability, and anxiety underscores the potential for a detrimental feedback loop, underscoring the significance of early intervention.

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Keywords
Subclinical neck pain; Anxiety; Proprioception; Neck mobility
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Mleziva P, Johnson E, Lohman E, Jaber M, Mleziva L, Daher N. Anxiety, Mobility, Disability and Proprioception in Adults with Mild Neck Pain: A Cross-Sectional Study. jmr. 2025;(-).