ArticlePloS one2026
Is asymmetric upper trapezius muscle activation during work associated with neck pain? A cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis.
Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesPrevious studies have linked activity in the upper trapezius muscle with neck pain. However, no studies have examined whether asymmetric activation of these muscles during the working day is associated with neck pain. This study aimed to investigate this relationship.
methodsSeven research institutes provided data on bilateral upper trapezius muscle activity on one working day, along with corresponding questionnaire data on cross-sectional (n = 530) and longitudinal (n = 256) neck pain intensity. The asymmetry, defined as the activity difference between the two upper trapezius muscles, was calculated as an average across the entire workday and within various intensity levels in relation to maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC). Unadjusted and adjusted linear regression analyses were executed to examine the association between asymmetric muscle activation and neck pain intensity.
resultsIn cross-sectional analyses, asymmetry in the levels 0-0.05 and 0.05-2%MVIC was significantly positively associated with neck pain intensity in both unadjusted and adjusted analyses. Asymmetry in the levels of 4-6, 6-8 and 8-10%MVIC was significantly negatively associated with neck pain in unadjusted analyses. In longitudinal analyses, significant positive associations were found for asymmetry in level 0-0.05%MVIC and negative associations for asymmetry in levels > 20%MVIC.
conclusionWhile asymmetry in the very low levels of muscle activity may be associated with higher neck pain intensity, asymmetry in the higher levels of muscle activity was negatively associated with neck pain intensity. However, the explained variance of the models was small, and the results should therefore be interpreted with caution. The findings suggest that work conditions facilitating simultaneous relaxation during breaks and balanced activation of both muscles during static activities may be relevant for neck pain prevention, though further research is needed to establish causality.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.