The influence of age, gender, lifestyle factors and sub-clinical neck pain on the cervical flexion–rotation test and cervical range of motion

The flexion–rotation test (FRT) is commonly used when assessing cervicogenic headache. Additionally, active range of motion (AROM) is frequently used to evaluate impairment in neck pain. No studies have investigated the interaction of the FRT and AROM with age, gender, pain and lifestyle factors. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of these factors on the FRT and cervical AROM. A group of 66 participants (aged 20–78) were studied, 28 experienced sub-clinical neck pain (recurrent neck pain or discomfort which has not received treatment from a healthcare professional) while 38 did not. Age, gender, lifestyle factors and sub-clinical neck pain were assessed using a questionnaire. Measurement of AROM was performed by two examiners blind to the results of the questionnaire. Multiple linear regression analysis found that 59% of the variance in the FRT was explained by the presence of sub-clinical pain and cervical lateral flexion measures. Secondly, 58–72% of the variance in active cervical ROM measures was influenced by factors including the FRT, gender and movements of the neck in other planes. This study found that lifestyle factors do not influence the cervical FRT and AROM.