Neck reflex points

• Verfasst von: Weinschenk, Stefan [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Gerhardt, Axel [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Wibmer, Christine [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Strowitzki, Thomas [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Feißt, Manuel [VerfasserIn]
• Titel: Neck reflex points
• Titelzusatz: a new clinical test? : Prevalence in two cohorts and its covariates
• Verf.angabe: Stefan Weinschenk, Axel Gerhardt, Christine Wibmer, Thomas Strowitzki and Manuel Feisst
• E-Jahr: 2024
• Jahr: 30 September 2024
• Umfang: 15 S.
• Illustrationen: Illustrationen
• Fussnoten: Gesehen am 08.04.2025
• Titel Quelle: Enthalten in: Diagnostics
• Ort Quelle: Basel : MDPI, 2011
• Jahr Quelle: 2024
• Band/Heft Quelle: 14(2024), 19, Artikel-ID 2185, Seite 1-15
• ISSN Quelle: 2075-4418
• DOI: doi:10.3390/diagnostics14192185
• Datenträger: Online-Ressource
• Sprache: eng
• Sach-SW: head and neck pain
• Sach-SW: muscular trigger points
• Sach-SW: neural therapy
• Sach-SW: neuro-reflectory changes
• Sach-SW: observational study
• K10plus-PPN: 1921891467

Abstract

Background: Neck reflex points (NRPs) are 2 × 6 potentially tender areas of the neck, denominated NRP-C0 to NRP-C7. They are different from muscular trigger points and become tender in response to chronic trigeminal irritation. NRP examination has a high inter-rater reproducibility. We investigated the prevalence of NRPs in two populations to investigate their usefulness as a clinical test for trigeminal irritation. Methods: In total, 165 patients with chronic pain and 431 students were examined for NRP tenderness using a three-level pain scale: absent pain (PI = 0), mild tenderness (PI = 1), or marked tenderness (PI = 2). Results: In patients, we found more tender NRPs than in the student group (p < 0.001), and on the left side, more tender NRPs were found in NRP-C0-C4. Left and right NRPs appeared independently (kappa 0.1-0.4), except for NRP-C7 (kappa 0.55). Females had more tender NRPs (p < 0.001). Tenderness was independent of age, BMI, and pre-existing diseases. Conclusions: NRP tenderness occurs more frequently in patients than in students, independent from potential covariates. Our results, together with previous findings, support the use of NRP examination as a clinical test for chronic silent inflammation of the trigeminal region. These data provide a base for further studies investigating correlations of NRPs with clinical findings.