The assessment of the cervical spine. Part 1: Range of motion and proprioception

Abstract

Neck pain and headache of cervical origin are complaints affecting an increasing number of the general population. Mechanical factors such as sustained neck postures or movements and long-term "abnormal" physiologic loads on the neck are believed to affect the cervical structures and compromise neck function. A comprehensive assessment of neck function requires evaluation of its physical parameters such as range of motion, proprioception, strength and endurance/fatigue. The complicated structure of the cervical spine however, makes it difficult for any clinician to obtain reliable and valid results. The aim of the first part of this systematic critical review is to identify the factors influencing the assessment of range of motion and proprioception of the cervical spine.

Using the cervical range of motion (CROM) device to assess head repositioning accuracy in individuals with cervical radiculopathy in comparison to neck- healthy individuals

“…To minimize the effect of fatigue and pain on HRA in individuals with CDD (Pinsault and Vuillerme, 2010;Strimpakos, 2011), and because many patients with CDD have limited cervical range of motion (Peolsson et al, 2002), the range of motion during active cervical rotation was standardized to 30° (Uremovic et al, 2007) in this study. In addition, the number of trials was limited to three in both rotation directions (Loudon et al, 1997;Treleaven et al, 2003;Treleaven et al, 2006).…”

“…Larger than typical errors in head repositioning accuracy (HRA) have been reported in individuals with neck disorders (Revel et al, 1991;Loudon et al, 1997;Kristjansson et al, 2003;Treleaven et al, 2003); although the results are controversial (Rix and Bagust, 2001;Hill et al, 2009); without a consensus on the best method (Strimpakos, 2011). The original test used a laser to assess HRA (Revel et al, 1991), a method that has since been widely used (Heikkila and Wenngren, 1998;Vuillerme et al, 2008;Pinsault and Vuillerme, 2010) and that exhibits good reliability (Pinsault et al, 2008a) and validity (Pinsault et al, 2008b;Roren et al, 2009).…”

Joint position sense error in people with neck pain: A systematic review

“…The primary measure to clinically operationalize cervical proprioception is the Joint Position Sense Error (JPSE) (Armstrong et al, 2008;Strimpakos, 2011). Joint position sense, an individual's ability to reproduce and perceive previous predetermined positions or ranges of motion of a joint, is a major component of proprioception.…”

Prescribing Exercise for Neck Problems

“…Boyun, yüksek oranda mekanoreseptör içermesi nedeniyle propriyosepsiyon duyusu açısından oldukça önemli bir bölgedir (28,29). Servikal bölge problemlerinde tespit edilen propriyosepsiyon bozukluğundan dolayı rehabilitasyon programlarına propriyoseptif egzersizler de ilave edilmeye başlanmıştır.…”