The relationship between cervical spine range of motion and postural sway in mechanical neck pain: A cross-sectional study.
Kavitha Vishal, Ashwini Walkay, Teo Huixin and 2 others
PMID 37583925WHAT IT FOUND
Cervical range of motion was mostly normal in this neck pain group, and did not correlate with postural sway.
Only a weak link existed between horizontal rotation and sway. Improving overall neck mobility may not directly reduce postural instability in these patients.
Key findings
01Overall cervical range of motion was close to normative values, and most participants did not show significant restriction.
02There was no statistically significant correlation between cervical spine range of motion in the frontal and sagittal planes and postural sway.
03A weak negative correlation was found between cervical spine range of motion in the horizontal plane and postural sway in the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study did not include a pain-free control group, so it is unclear if the postural sway values were actually abnormal compared to healthy individuals. Most participants had cervical range of motion close to normative values, which limits the ability to detect a relationship between severe stiffness and poor balance. Range of motion was measured up to the point of maximum pain rather than the first onset of pain, which might have masked earlier protective stiffening patterns.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest and state that no author has any financial interest or received any financial benefit from this research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that cervical mobility is irrelevant to balance. The study found a weak but significant correlation between horizontal rotation and postural sway, suggesting that while overall range of motion may not be the main culprit, specific rotational deficits could still play a role in sensorimotor control.