Validity of the Lateral Gliding Test as Tool for the Diagnosis of Intervertebral Joint Dysfunction in the Lower Cervical Spine / Cesar Fernández-de-las-Peñas, Cristobal Downey and Juan Carlos Miangolarra-Page

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Bibliografía: p.616

Objective: To determine if the lateral gliding test for the cervical spine is a valid clinical test compared wilh radiological
assessment as a tool tbr the diagnosis of intervertébral joint dysfunctions in the lower eervieal spine in patients presenting
with mechanical neck pain.
Methods: Twenty-tïve patients with mechanical neck pain presenting with an asymmetry of at least 5 between left and
right cervical lateral flexion and diagnosed with an intervertebral Joint dysfunetion in the lower eervieal spine based on the
lateral gliding test were studied. Two anterior-posterior x-rays were perfomied on each patient at maximum end-range of
right and left cervical latera! tlexion. The intervertébral motion was compared between the hypomobile side and the
coniralateral side at the level diagnosed as hypomobile by the lateral gliding test.
Results: The asymmetry between left and right eervieal lateral tlexion motion was 7.64 ± 2.25 ( P = .001 ). Fourteen
patients were diagnosed with intervertebral dysñinctions on the right side, whereas 11 patients showed cervical hyponiobility
on the left. Joint dysfunction at the C3 vertebra was the most prevalent (n = 16). followed by the dysfunction at the C4 vertebra
(n = 9). The intervertebral radiological motion at the hypomobile side (mean 19.1, SD 2.1 mm) was 3.44 ± 1.9 mm less than
the intervertébral radiological motion at the eontralateral side (mean 22.6, SD 2.5 mm) with P = .002.
Conclusions: The lateral gliding test for the cervical spine was as good as a radiological assessment for the diagnosis of
intervertebral dysftanctions in the tower cervical spine. (J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2005:28:610-616)