ReviewThe Journal of manual & manipulative therapy2025
An overview of systematic reviews investigating clinical features for diagnosing neck pain and its associated disorders.
Review in The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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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
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Continuous Non-Invasive Assessment of Segmental Cervical Motion: A Narrative Review and Validation Framework.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
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.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundNeck pain is a common condition that is often difficult to diagnose. Previous literature has investigated diagnostic accuracy of examination measures, but the strength and clinical applicability are limited. This overview of systematic reviews aimed to investigate clinical features for diagnosing neck pain and its associated disorders.
methodsAn overview of systematic reviews was conducted searching four electronic databases for systematic reviews evaluating diagnostic criteria for neck pain. Quality and risk of bias were assessed using the AMSTAR 2 and ROBIS. Clinical features for neck pain were investigated for diagnostic utility.
resultsTwenty-seven systematic reviews were included. Hand radiculopathy and numbness have good specificities (0.89-0.92) for facet and uncinate joint hypertrophy. For facet-related dysfunction, the extension rotation test (ERT) and manual assessment have good sensitivities and moderate-good specificities. Positive ERT combined with positive manual assessment findings (+LR = 4.71; Sp = 0.83) improves diagnostic accuracy compared to positive ERT alone (+LR = 2.01; Sp = 0.59). Canadian C-spine Rules and Nexus criteria have excellent validity in screening for cervical fracture or instability. Imaging appears to have validity in diagnosing ligamentous disruption or fractures but lacks clarity on predicting future neck pain. Increased fatty infiltrates have been found with whiplash-associated disorders and mechanical neck pain.
conclusionsThis review found limited indicators providing strong diagnostic utility for diagnosing neck pain. Strength of recommendations are limited by heterogeneous outcomes, methodology, and classification systems. Future research should investigate new differential diagnostic criteria for specific structures contributing to neck pain.
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Registered trials
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