Individual cervical muscle function in biomechanical studies: A Review of Literature

Abstract

The human cervical structure is a complex arrangement in which an important array of bones, soft tissues and vital organs are collected in a closely-packed area. There are numerous small and large muscles which act together to induce head and neck motion in a certain direction. The cervical muscles are also involved in many audiovisual reflexes, which are a complicating factors in clinical evaluations. Because of this anatomical compaction and the complexity of the upper motor neuron reflexes involving the cervical muscles, there is as yet no general understanding of the anatomy and function of the neck muscles. This gap in our knowledge may in part be due to a lack of proper examination tools or to a failure to examine the applicability of the present methods for evaluating cervical muscle function. Today the field of biomechanical evaluation of the cervical spine needs an easy and practical method which would also be replicable in follow-up studies such as rehabilitation assessments. Within the last decade, parallel to methods like electromyography and muscle strength tests, a few imaging techniques, particularly computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasonography have been used to evaluate the function of the cervical muscles. In the present article, the application of the current biomechanical methods in the assessment of the individual cervical muscle function is discussed.