ReviewShoulder & elbow2019
Screening of the cervical spine in subacromial shoulder pain: A systematic review.
Review in Shoulder & elbow, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 41 citations in OpenAlex.
- Screening of the thoracolumbar spine is almost completely absent in trials evaluating conservative management for sacroiliac joint pain: a systematic review of 43 randomized controlled trials.The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy · 2026Pooled it
- The prevalence of subclassification-based diagnoses when considering cervical contribution in shoulder pain patients: a secondary analysis from a previous research.The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy · 2025Article
- Cervical Spine Screening Based on Movement Strategies Improves Shoulder Physical Variables in Neck-Related Shoulder Pain Patients: A Secondary Analysis from an Observational Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Swimmer arm-to-shoulder test for early differentiation between shoulder and cervical spine pathology in patients with shoulder pain.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2024Article
- Cervical and Thoracic Spine Mobility in Rotator Cuff Related Shoulder Pain: A Comparative Analysis with Asymptomatic Controls.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2024Article
- Exploring indicators of extremity pain of spinal source as identified by Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT): a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study.The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy · 2022Article
- A study exploring the prevalence of Extremity Pain of Spinal Source (EXPOSS).The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy · 2020Article
- Differences in cervical mobility and pain sensitivity between patients with rotator cuff-related shoulder pain and asymptomatic subjects: a cross-sectional study.Archives of physiotherapyArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSubacromial shoulder pain is a common clinical presentation with much diagnostic uncertainty. Some of this uncertainty relates to the involvement of the cervical spine as a source or contribution to subacromial shoulder pain. Currently, there is no accepted method of screening of the cervical spine in the presence of subacromial shoulder pain, which risks patients receiving misguided and/or ineffective interventions.
objectiveTo evaluate approaches used to screen the cervical spine in patients with subacromial shoulder pain.
designSystematic review of randomized controlled trials.
methodsElectronic searches of PEDro and MEDLINE to December 2016 were conducted. Randomized controlled trials evaluating the effectiveness of interventions within the current scope of physiotherapy comprising of adult patients complaining of subacromial shoulder pain were included. Data relating to the method of cervical spine screening were extracted and synthesized categorically.
resultsOne hundred and two studies were included. Twenty-six (25.5%) were categorized as "No method of screening undertaken or reported," 49 (48.0%) were categorized as "Localized cervical spine symptoms and/or radiculopathy/radicular pain," nine (8.8%) were categorized as "Cervical examination," two (2.0%) were categorized as "Manual testing," two (2.0%) were categorized as "History of cervical surgery," and 14 (13.7%) were categorized as using "Combined approaches."
conclusionExamination of the cervical spine in patients with subacromial shoulder pain is variable in randomized controlled trials. In many instances, no or minimal attempts to screen were undertaken or reported. This has potential research and management implications and further research is indicated to facilitate development of this aspect of examination.
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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.