SynthesisEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2006
The prevalence of neck pain in the world population: a systematic critical review of the literature.
Synthesis in European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, 2006. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 17 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 386 papers, 18 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Study of the Association Between Neck Pain and the Quality of Sleep
Treatment of Cervical Syndrome With Myofascial Therapies
Vacuum Myofascial Therapy Device for Non-specific Neck Pain. A Single Blind Randomized Clinical Trial
Effects of Cyriax Manipulation in Cervical Discogenic Pain
Effects of Elongation Longitudinaux Avec Decoaption Osteo-Articulaire (ELDOA) in Cervical Disc Protrusion
Cross-cultural Adaptation and Validation of Arabic Version of the Core Outcome Measure Index (COMI) in Patients With Chronic Neck Pain
Evaluation of Nociceptive Processing in the Cervical Region Through Action Observation, Laterality Discrimination and Exercise
Effect of Postural Reconstruction on the Functionality of the Cervical Region
Comparison of Post Isometric Relaxation and Graston Technique in Mechanical Neck Pain.
Effectiveness of Kinesiotaping on Patient's Functional Status in Non-specific Neck Pain
The Effectiveness of the Exercise Program Applied by Telerehabilitation Method in Individuals With Chronic Neck Pain
Distance Learning and Neck Disability Among Academic Staff During COVID-19 Period
Effect of Cervical Mobility on Cardiovascular And Respiratory Outcomes Among Young Adults
Comparison of Thoracic Manipulation & MET for Chronic Mechanical Neckache; a Single Blinded Clinical Trail
Neck Awareness, Cognitive Function and Left/Right Judgment Performance in Individuals With Neck Pain: A Cross-sectional Study
Efficacy of Monopolar Dielectric Diathermy and Therapeutic Exercise on Pain, Functionality, Movement Phobia and Quality of Life in Patients With Chronic Neck Pain.
Mmediate and Short-Term Effects of Dry Needling, Percutaneous Neuromodulation, and Percutaneous Electrolysis on Muscle Tone and Pain: A Two-Phase Randomized Experimental Study in Healthy Subjects and Patients With Chronic Neck Pain.
Who cites it
386 citing papers in PubMed, 18 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 1,178 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness of Movement Representation Techniques in Chronic Non-Specific Spinal Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Pooled it
- Surface EMG activity during cervical and upper limb tasks in individuals with neck pain: a systematic review.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Pooled it
- The effects of physiotherapy on neck pain with associated symptoms, ıncludıng cervicogenic dizziness and tinnitus: a systematic review.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of manufactured Chinese herbal formula for cervical radiculopathy: a systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Effectiveness of the pilates method in patients with chronic neck pain: a systematic review with meta-analysis.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment for postoperative axial symptoms of cervical spondylotic myelopathy: a systematic review.BMJ open · 2024Pooled it
- The majority of clinical trials assessing mobilization and manipulation for neck pain lack a pragmatic approach: a systematic review of 174 trials.The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy · 2024Pooled it
- Musculoskeletal disorders and pain in agricultural workers in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Rheumatology international · 2024Pooled it
- Summarizing the effects of different exercise types in chronic neck pain - a systematic review and meta-analysis of systematic reviews.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2023Pooled it
- Measures of neck muscle strength and their measurement properties in adults with chronic neck pain-a systematic review.Systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Efficacy of low-level laser therapy on pain, disability, pressure pain threshold, and range of motion in patients with myofascial neck pain syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Lasers in medical science · 2022Pooled it
- Pain in the Cervical and Lumbar Spine as a Result of High G-Force Values in Military Pilots-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of the therapeutic management of patients with cervicogenic dizziness.The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy · 2022Pooled it
- Interventions for Depressive Symptoms in People Living with Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review of Meta-Analyses.Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) · 2022Pooled it
- Head kinematics in patients with neck pain compared to asymptomatic controls: a systematic review.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2022Pooled it
- Does My Neck Make Me Clumsy? A Systematic Review of Clinical and Neurophysiological Studies in Humans.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2021Pooled it
- Effects of specific extensor exercise on balance control in patients with neck pain; a randomized controlled trial.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2026Trial
- Trial
326 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of neck pain (NP) in the world population and to identify areas of methodological variation between studies. A systematic search was conducted in five databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, OSH-ROM, and PsycINFO), followed by a screening of reference lists of relevant papers. Included papers were extracted for information and each paper was given a quality score. Mean prevalence estimates were calculated for six prevalence periods (point, week, month, 6 months, year, and lifetime), and considered separately for age, gender, quality score, response rate, sample size, anatomical definition, geography, and publication year. Fifty-six papers were included. The six most commonly reported types of prevalence were point, week, month, 6 months, year, and lifetime. Except for lifetime prevalence, women reported more NP than men. For 1-year prevalence, Scandinavian countries reported more NP than the rest of Europe and Asia. Prevalence estimates were not affected by age, quality score, sample size, response rate, and different anatomical definitions of NP. NP is a common symptom in the population. As expected, the prevalence increases with longer prevalence periods and generally women have more NP than men. At least for 1-year prevalence Scandinavian countries report higher mean estimates than the rest of Europe and Asia. The quality of studies varies greatly but is not correlated with the prevalence estimates. Design varies considerably and standardisation is needed in future studies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.