Observational studyThe Journal of manual & manipulative therapy2025
Prevalence of positive neural findings in patients attending outpatient physical therapy: an exploratory study.
Observational study 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. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionNeurological testing is commonly used in outpatient physical therapy (PT) for patients with suspected neurological involvement. However, limited data exist on the prevalence of abnormal neurological findings in patients without a peripheral neuropathic pain (PNP) diagnosis. Understanding the frequency of these findings may help refine screening practices and improve patient care. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of abnormal neurological findings in patients attending PT without a clinical PNP diagnosis.
methodsThis observational study included 104 adult patients attending PT for upper or lower quadrant pain. Each patient underwent a series of clinical neurologic tests (strength, sensation, and reflexes) and neurodynamic (ND) tests. Patients were categorized as having either a clinical PNP diagnosis or a non-PNP diagnosis based on physician and/or physical therapist assessment.
resultsOf the participants, 22% had a clinical PNP diagnosis. Among those without a PNP diagnosis, clinical neurologic test abnormalities were common, with 50.6% exhibiting abnormal reflexes, 48.1% showing strength deficits, and 21% having sensory impairments. ND test abnormalities were less frequent in this group, with 18.5% experiencing symptom reproduction during testing. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that abnormal neurological test results are not exclusive to patients with a clinical PNP diagnosis. The high prevalence of clinical neurologic test abnormalities in patients without a PNP diagnosis raises questions about the sensitivity of current screening approaches.
conclusionNeurological abnormalities may be overlooked when screening is based solely on clinical diagnosis or reported symptoms. Expanding neurological testing to a broader patient population may enhance diagnostic accuracy and treatment planning. Further research is needed to determine the clinical significance of these findings and the potential benefits of routine neurological screening in outpatient PT.
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.