ReviewFrontiers in sports and active living2023
Which muscles exhibit increased stiffness in people with chronic neck pain? A systematic review with meta-analysis.
Review in Frontiers in sports and active living, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Effects of High-Intensity Laser Therapy and Stretching Exercises on Chronic Non-Specific Neck Pain: Findings From a Clinical Trial
The Effect of Low-load Endurance Training of Upper Trapezius on Pain, Pressure Pain and Muscle Stiffness in Chronic Neck-shoulder Pain Compared to Stretching Exercise: a Randomized Controlled Trial
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Meta-analysis of the best exercise mode and dose study for improving spinal health.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Pooled it
- Reliability of bioimpedance spectroscopy in the upper trapezius muscle.Journal of electromyography and kinesiology : official journal of the International Society of Electrophysiological Kinesiology · 2026Article
- Muscle-Specific Biomechanical Adaptations Following Rehabilitation Treatment in Cervical Spondylosis: A Pilot Study.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Upper trapezius muscle stiffness among musicians with and without playing-related musculoskeletal disorders: a cross-sectional study.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2025Article
- Relationship between the degree of forward head posture and the shear elastic modulus of the upper trapezius in young men, and the difference in these variables between those with and without neck/shoulder pain and/or stiffness.Journal of physical therapy science · 2025Article
- Ultrasound elastography of back muscle biomechanical properties: a systematic review and meta-analysis of current methods.Insights into imaging · 2024Review
- Cervical Multifidus Stiffness Assessment in Individuals with and without Unilateral Chronic Neck Pain: An Inter-Examiner Reliability Study.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- The effect of a 5-week therapeutic massage on erector spinae and upper trapezius muscle stiffness as determined by shear-wave elastography: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: Chronic neck pain (CNP) substantially impacts quality of life, posing both personal challenges and economic strains. This systematic review sought to discern muscle-specific stiffness differences between CNP patients and individuals without CNP. Methods: We searched the PubMed, Scopus, and PEDro databases for studies using ultrasound elastography or myotonometry to compare muscle stiffness between CNP patients and asymptomatic controls. Using a meta-analysis with a random-effects model, we derived the pooled effect as standardized mean difference (SMD). Results: Out of the six studies selected, the adjusted Newcastle-Ottawa rating scale for cross-sectional studies denoted three as moderate-quality and three as high-quality. Our findings indicate that the upper trapezius (UT) stiffness was elevated in CNP patients compared to their counterparts without CNP (SMD = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.05 to 0.74; Discussion: Given the case-control design of all reviewed studies, a direct causative link between UT stiffness and CNP is yet to be confirmed. As such, recommending a reduction in trapezius muscle stiffness as a primary rehabilitation strategy for CNP patients is still inconclusive and further research is needed.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.