Article

Neck pain is common and often becomes chronic. Various clinical tests of the
cervical spine are used to direct and evaluate treatment.
This systematic review
aimed to identify studies examining the intra- and/or interrater reliability of
tests used in clinical examination of patients with neck pain.
A database search
up to April 2016 was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, and AMED. The Quality Appraisal
of Reliability Studies Checklist (QAREL) was used to assess risk of bias. Eleven
studies were included, comprising tests of active and passive movement and pain
evaluating participants with ongoing neck pain. One study was assessed with a low
risk of bias, three with medium risk, while the rest were assessed with high risk
of bias. The results showed differing reliabilities for the included tests
ranging from poor to almost perfect. In conclusion, active movement and pain for
pain or mobility overall presented acceptable to very good reliability (Kappa
>0.40); while passive intervertebral tests had lower Kappa values, suggesting
poor reliability. It may be a coincidence that the studies indicating very good
reliability tended to be of higher quality (low to moderate risk of bias), while
studies finding poor reliability tended to be of lower quality (high risk of
bias). Regardless, the current recommendation from this review would suggest the
clinical use of tests with acceptable reliability and avoiding the use of tests
that have been shown to not be reliable. Finally, it is critical that all future
reliability studies are of higher quality with low risk of bias.

Langue : ANGLAIS