Background: First rib dysfunction is a possible cause of symptoms in patients with neck and/or shoulder pain. Objectives: To explore therapists' perceptions of useful diagnostic criteria to identify first rib dysfunction. Methods: A Delphi survey over four rounds involving international manual therapy experts who were asked to agree on which items were most useful in identifying first rib dysfunction. Results: Consensus (>70% agreement) was reached on key aspects of first rib dysfunction being first rib mobility restriction, upper limb symptom distribution, and a subclassification into two subgroups was suggested. The main clinical findings suggested were: painful and restricted neck movements and shoulder girdle loading activities; positive Upper Limb Neural Test 1; direct palpation of first rib, neural structures, and scalene muscles; pain and hypomobility of first rib accessory movements with improvement after mobilization. The cervical rotation lateral-flexion test was considered a useful, although not widely used test among the experts. Its diagnostic accuracy and interpretation in isolation was questioned. Conclusions: This Delphi study produced a cluster of clinical tests aimed to identify first rib dysfunction in patients with neck and/or shoulder conditions. However, these need to be tested out in further research to establish reliability and validity.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.