Neck discomfort of wheelchair users: effect of neck position.

Purpose: To test the hypothesis that wheelchair users experience more discomfort when holding their necks in extended and/or rotated positions than when in their self-selected most comfortable positions (MCPs).

Methods: We studied 20 wheelchair users, first determining their MCPs with the eyes closed. Then, subjects assumed and maintained (for 5 min each) four neck positions in random order: level (L) and elevated (E), both straight ahead of the subject (S) and with the neck rotated (R).