Is cervical spine rotation, as used in the standard vertebrobasilar insufficiency test, associated with a measureable change in intracranial vertebral artery blood flow?

Journal article

Cervical spine rotation is used by manual therapists as a premanipulative vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI) test to identify patients at risk of developing VBI post-manipulation. Investigations of the effect of rotation on vertebral artery blood flow have yielded conflicting results, the validity of the test being debated. It was the aim of this study, therefore, to investigate the effects of cervical spine rotation on vertebral artery blood flow. Transcranial Doppler sonography was used to...

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Authors: Mitchell, J; Keene, D; Dyson, C; Harvey, L; Pruvey, C

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Manual therapy
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 220-227
• Publication date: 2004-11-01
• DOI: 10.1016/j.math.2004.03.005
• EISSN: 1532-2769
• ISSN: 1356-689X
• Language: English
• Keywords: Manipulation, Spinal; Reference Values; Vertebral Artery; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color; Reproducibility of Results; Blood Flow Velocity; Humans; Adult; Cervical Vertebrae; Male; Female; Range of Motion, Articular; Rotation; Stress, Mechanical; Regional Blood Flow