SynthesisPloS one2026
Association between cervical spine clinical active range of motion and pain or disability in people with neuromusculoskeletal neck pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2026. 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
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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
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo quantify the association between clinical cervical active range of motion and patient-reported outcomes of pain and disability in people with neuromusculoskeletal neck pain.
designSystematic review and meta-analysis following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023417317).
methodsA comprehensive search of six databases and grey literature up to December 2024 identified observational studies reporting cross-sectional correlations between active range of motion and patient-reported outcomes in adults with neck pain. Risk of bias was assessed using an adapted National Institutes of Health quality assessment tool. Eight meta-analyses were conducted using random-effects models. Heterogeneity, subgroup analyses (acute versus chronic neck pain, whiplash-related versus non-traumatic), and meta-regressions (age, sex, publication year, risk of bias) were performed. Certainty of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach.
results45 studies (total N = 3,494) were included. Meta-analyses showed statistically significant small to moderate negative correlations (r = -0.21 to -0.34) between active range of motion and patient-reported outcomes in all planes of motion, with stronger associations in acute and whiplash-related neck pain. Substantial heterogeneity (I2 = 67-91%) was partly explained by symptom duration and mechanism of onset. Certainty of evidence was very low due to risk of bias, inconsistency, and imprecision.
conclusionsCervical active range of motion is modestly associated with pain and disability, especially in acute and traumatic neck pain. Findings should be interpreted with caution. Standardized measurement protocols and higher-quality studies are needed to inform practice.
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