Correlation of scapular position and neck pain in bus drivers.

Need of the study

Driving occupation requires the most usage of neck and shoulder areas. Therefore, the overuse and improper support of muscle in this region can have an impact in more ways than one.

Also, driving requires prolonged sitting and rapid hand movements while operating steering wheel. Therefore, it may cause pain in upper back area, which may affect scapular posture.

As a result, maintaining improper posture for prolonged period of time can lead to muscular imbalance. Thus, it may lead to alter scapular alignment, which may cause altered scapular motion.

Additionally, abnormal posture causes forward head and rounded shoulder with neck pain due to muscle imbalance between curvature of spine and muscle that are attached to neck bone.

There is dearth of literature with regards to scapular position correlate with neck pain among drivers, which becomes significant of such a research work, because an altered alignment of the posture can lead to undue strain on the skeletal and soft tissue structure lead to an imbalance muscle performance.

So, here the need arises to check the correlation of scapular position and neck pain in bus drivers becomes extremely crucial if these problems are to be dealt with efficiently.

Aim

To determine whether the scapular position and neck pain are correlated in bus drivers.

Objective

To measure scapular position using modified lateral scapular slide test

To assess the neck pain

To find out correlation of scapular position and neck pain in bus drivers.

Procedure

All subjects would be screened as per inclusion and exclusion criteria and those who are appropriate to the study would be chosen.

• Written inform consent form will be signed by subjects who will be included in study.

Demographic information including age, mass, height, dominance of the hand and body mass index (BMI) will be measured

VAS : VAS  is measured in four different positions of hand. (1) Hands on its rest position. (2) Hands on hip. (3) Hands in 90-degree abduction  (4) Hands in 120 degree abduction.

Modified lateral scapular slide test would be used in clinical settings to assess medio-lateral inferior angle displacement and scapular asymmetry at four different degrees of shoulder abduction.

A digital Vernier caliper and 1kg dumbbell-like weights will be used.

The scapular examination should largely be accomplished from the posterior aspect. The scapula should be exposed for complete visualisation. This can be done by removing the shirt.

For identification of T7 vertebrae:- This starts  by identifying the spinous process of the 7th cervical vertebra (C7). After identifying C7,  palpate the spinous processes of the vertebrae down to T7 and then mark it with a tag or marker pen. Then,  measure the distance between the inferior angle of the scapulae and the spinous process of T7 in 4 different arm positions. The first position is with the arms by the side. The second is with the subject’s hands on the hips, and the third is with the arms elevated to 90º of shoulder abduction with 1kg load hold in their hands. The fourth position is 120° of shoulder abduction with 1kg load hold in hands.

Distance from the inferior angle of the scapula to the spinous process of the thoracic vertebrae in the same horizontal plane will be measured in all positions. If the distance is greater than 1.5cm, the test is positive

All measurements will be captured bilaterally in less than 60 seconds. Subjects will be given as much rest time between measurements as they required. No more than 30 seconds will be generally necessary. The caliper will set to zero by an  after each measurement.