Deep Neck Flexor Exercise to Improve Physical Performance for People with Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

MOJ Orthop Rheumatol 2017, 7(4): 00279 control have developed [5]. However, children with cerebral palsy who have not experienced normal development show a poor ability to control their head, and head control is essential during the young children's development, in this way, it will not permit effective posture adjustment, and children cannot perform normal movements in all postures [6]. Moreover, excessive extension posture in the neck and stooped trunk posture shortens sufferers' posterior neck muscles, sustained posture creates weakness in the posterior neck muscles, it is difficult to keep the head in a space, the arms are too heavy for movement, and the hands and eyes move separately [6]. Therefore, maintaining balance and posture is very difficult for children with cerebral palsy [7].Head regulation intervention is indispensable for improving posture control with cerebral palsy, and the role of the deep neck flexor muscles to maintain posture control and neck stability have been emphasized recently [8]. The deep neck flexor muscle shows a relatively large amount of muscle spindle distributions compared with other muscles, and can require high Proprioceptive function [9]. Proprioceptive sensation plays an important role in maintaining posture to teach information about position sense and relative body orientation with regard to the ground, and intervention for that is positive for the maintenance of posture in cerebral palsy children [10]. Deep Neck Flexor Muscle ExerciseThe deep muscles of the neck include the cervical muscles longus colli, longus capitis, rectus capitis anterior, and rectus capitis lateralis, and other muscles in the anterior, and the spinalis cervicis, multifidus, suboccipitalis, and others are involved in the posterior; these muscles are involved in stabilizing and supporting the neck [11]. Most children with cerebral palsy show a posture side flexion posture or forward flexion posture due to the lack of trunk stability. In particular, it is observed from the posture when bending forward from a body sitting position that this induces excessive neck extension, which reduces its stability [12]. Therefore, the longus colli and longus capitis muscles acting as antagonists of the neck extensor muscles are emphasized [8]. These muscles perform a similar dynamic function, provide vertical stability for the neck, and serve to support the anterior of the base of the neck and support and fix each joint [13,14]. In particular, the deep cervical flexion muscles are lower than to cooperate effectively to generate strong muscle contraction force to support the weight of the head while maintaining the correct posture of the neck and moving the head. They play a role in supporting and fixing the neck by providing strong static muscle endurance and stability [15]. Recently, the activation of the cervical flexor muscles have been proven to have a positive effect on the improvement of the abdominal muscle thickness, dynamic and static balance ability, and Proprioceptive function of children with cerebral ...