Man Ther. 2003 Aug; 8(3): 176-9.

Measuring range of active cervical rotation in a position of full head flexion using the 3D Fastrak measurement system: an intra-tester reliability study.

Amiri M, Jull G, Bullock-Saxton J.

Department of Physiotherapy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. m.amiri@shrs.uq.edu.au

Most external assessments of cervical range of motion assess the upper and lower cervical regions simultaneously. This study investigated the within and between days reliability of the clinical method used to bias this movement to the upper cervical region, namely measuring rotation of the head and neck in a position of full cervical flexion. Measurements were made using the Fastrak measurement system and were conducted by one operator. Results indicated high levels of within and between days repeatability (range of ICC2,1 values: 0.85-0.95). The ranges of axial rotation to right and left, measured with the neck positioned in full flexion, were approximately 56% and 50%, respectively of total cervical rotation, which relates well to the proportional division of rotation in the upper and lower cervical regions. These results suggest that this method of measuring rotation would be appropriate for use in subject studies where movement dysfunction is present in the upper cervical region, such as those with cervicogenic headache.