Comparison of Manual Assessment of Cervical Segmental Motion With Musculoskeletal Ultrasound

November 11, 2026 updated by: Dr. Rob Sillevis,, Florida Gulf Coast University

Construct Validity of Manual Assessment of Cervical Segmental Motion: A Comparison With Musculoskeletal Ultrasound-Derived Cervical Interfacet Motion

A cross-sectional construct validity study was conducted to investigate the relationship between clinician-rated cervical passive intervertebral motion (PIVM) testing and ultrasound quantification of cervical interfacet motion. The study was designed to determine whether clinical classifications of cervical segmental mobility correspond to objectively quantified cervical intersegmental movement.

PIVM testing represents a clinician's subjective assessment of cervical segmental movement based on perceived excursion, resistance to motion, and end-feel. In contrast, dynamic musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSKUS) was used to objectively quantify cervical interfacet motion by measuring changes in interfacet distance between standardized cervical positions. Construct validity was evaluated by examining the relationship between these two measurement approaches.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

27

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Florida
      • Fort Myers, Florida, United States, 33965
        • Florida Gulf Coast University Marieb Hall 101

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

asymptomatic healthy subjects

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • between 18 and 65 years old
  • able to read English to provide proper consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • current neck pain (>2/10 on a numerical pain rating scale)
  • cervical radiculopathy, previous cervical spine surgery
  • known cervical fracture or instability
  • vertebrobasilar insufficiency
  • systemic inflammatory disease affecting the cervical spine
  • pregnancy, traumatic brain injury, concussion
  • or any condition that contraindicated cervical manual examination or ultrasound imaging.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: COHORT
  • Time Perspectives: CROSS_SECTIONAL

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Sample

asymptomatic subject group
Diagnostic test: Passive Intervertebral Motion testing

Manual assessment of the interfacet motion at C5-C6 facet joint

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Interfacet motion
Time Frame: immediate following manual assessment

Interfacet motion measured with MSK Ultrasound
immediate following manual assessment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Passive Intervertebral motion assessment
Time Frame: immediate after primary outcome measure

Manual assessment of motion
immediate after primary outcome measure

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Florida Gulf Coast University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

February 6, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

May 31, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

May 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 20, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 20, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

July 23, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

November 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 11, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2025-07

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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