• Ssavedra-Hernández M
• Castro-Sánchez AM
• Fernández-de-las-Peñas C
• Cleland JA
• Ortega-Santiago R
• Arroyo-Morales M

• Cervical Vertebrae
• Epidemiologic Factors
• Manipulation, Cervical
• Manipulation, Thoracic
• Neck Pain / therapy
• Prognosis
• Thoracic Vertebrae
• Treatment Outcome

Methods: Patients presenting with mechanical neck pain participated in a prospective single-arm trial. Participants underwent a standardized examination and then received a series of thrust manipulations directed toward the cervical, cervicothoracic, and thoracic spine. Participants were classified as having achieved a successful outcome at the second and third sessions based on their perceived recovery. Potential prognostic variables were entered into a stepwise logistic regression model to determine the most accurate set of variables for the prediction of treatment success.

Results: Data from 81 subjects were included in the analysis, of which 50 experienced a successful outcome (61.7%). Five variables including pain intensity greater than 4.5 points; cervical extension less than 46°; presence of hypomobility at T1; a negative upper limb tension test and female sex were identified. If 4 of 5 variables were present (likelihood ratio, +1.9), the likelihood of success increased from 61.7% to 75.4%.

Conclusions: This study identified several prognostic clinical factors that can potentially identify, a priori, patients with neck pain who are likely to experience a rapid response to the application of an intervention including both cervical and thoracic spine manipulations. However, no combination of the variables was able to dramatically increase the posttest probability.

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