Specific Neck Training Induces Sustained Corticomotor Hyperexcitability as Assessed by Motor Evoked Potentials

Abstract

Specific neck training induced a sustained hyperexcitability of motor neurons controlling the neck muscles compared with coordination training and controls. These findings may prove valuable in the process of developing more effective clinical training programs for unspecific neck pain.

Effect of training on corticomotor excitability in clinical neck pain

“…Consequently, knee pain as an active control condition for neck pain did not inhibit the responsiveness of the corticomotor excitability of the neck muscles induced by neck training. These results partly resemble short‐term outcomes after neck training in pain‐free participants (Rittig‐Rasmussen et al., ).…”

“…Differences in the 1‐RM test and muscle fatigue before and after training were compared with the paired t ‐test. The sample size of 15 participants per group was estimated from previous work to detect a difference in MEP amplitude equivalent to 67% or an increase from 1.5 millivolt (mV) to 2.5 mV (SD = 0.8 mV; 90% power; α = 0.05) (Rittig‐Rasmussen et al., ). Statistical analysis was performed with Stata/SE Statistical Software, version 12 (Stata Corp., College Station, TX, USA), and Prism version 6, GraphPad Software (San Diego, CA, USA).…”

Motor training‐induced cortical plastic changes and its disruption by chronic pain: A puzzle with more pieces than expected

“…Another important point is that changes in MEPs after practicing a new motor task are dynamic, leading to an initial increase in its amplitudes with subsequent decreases to normal levels when the new skill has been acquired or overlearned (Muellbacher et al., ). This is in line with the data from neck (Rittig‐Rasmussen et al., ) and tongue (Boudreau et al., ) training in healthy subjects and neck pain patients, in whom changes in MEPs could be detected immediately or a few minutes after training a new task. Because changes in MEPs after training are expected to decrease once the motor skill is learned, it could be useful to perform MEP monitoring between training sessions as a way to monitor learning of the task.…”

“…In a previous study, Rittig‐Rasmussen et al. () reported that specific (load‐dependent) neck training significantly increased the amplitude of MEPs in the trapezius muscle (67% from baseline) starting at 30 min and lasting up to 7 days after a single session of training in healthy volunteers. No effects were noticed in a distant control muscle.…”

Influence of paravertebral muscles training on brain plasticity and postural control in chronic low back pain

“…up-regulated, to favour LTP-like plasticity and learning [27,61]. Also, a recent series of study showed that skilled training of the upper trapezius muscle produced an increase of MEP amplitude in pain-free controls [62] but surprisingly, a decrease of MEP amplitude was present in a chronic neck pain group after one exercise session [63]. These differences can be partly explained by the theory of homeostatic metaplasticity, i.e.…”