Abstract
Visual disturbances are commonly reported in patients with neck pain. Smooth pursuit neck torsion (SPNT) test performed in neutral position and with trunk rotated under the stationary head has been used to discriminate between those with cervical component and those without. However, no studies investigated the reliability of the SPNT-test in patients with chronic neck pain and healthy controls. The aim of this study was to assess inter-visit reliability of the SPNT-test while applying different amplitudes and velocities of target movement. Thirty-two controls and thirty-one patients were enrolled in the study. The SPNT-test was performed in neutral position and through 45° torsion positions. The test was performed at 20°/s, 30°/s and 40°/s velocities and at 30°, 40° and 50° amplitudes of cyclic sinusoidal target movements. Interclass correlation coefficient and smallest detectable change were calculated for parameters of gain and SPNT-differences. In patients, moderate to good reliability was observed for gain at 40° and 50° amplitudes and for 20°/s and 30°/s velocities, while moderate to excellent reliability for gain was observed in controls. Both groups presented with moderate to good reliability for SPNT-difference. Our findings imply that amplitudes of 40° and 50° and velocities of 20°/s and 30°/s are the most reliable and should be applied in future studies assessing oculomotor functions during the SPNT test.
Highlights
According to research and anecdotal evidence, patients with chronic neck pain frequently complain about different characteristics of visual disturbances such as blurred vision, words jumping on the page and difficulty focusing and concentrating on reading [1].These could be due to malfunctions of the oculomotor system that enable them to efficiently direct and keep their gaze on a slowly moving target [2].An important component of the oculomotor system is smooth pursuit eye movements [3]
32 healthy subjects and 32 patients with chronic neck pain were included for the inter-visit reliability study
The lowest reliability was observed for the 30◦ amplitude of target movement regardless of the target movement velocity
Summary
According to research and anecdotal evidence, patients with chronic neck pain frequently complain about different characteristics of visual disturbances such as blurred vision, words jumping on the page and difficulty focusing and concentrating on reading [1].These could be due to malfunctions of the oculomotor system that enable them to efficiently direct and keep their gaze on a slowly moving target [2].An important component of the oculomotor system is smooth pursuit eye movements [3]. According to research and anecdotal evidence, patients with chronic neck pain frequently complain about different characteristics of visual disturbances such as blurred vision, words jumping on the page and difficulty focusing and concentrating on reading [1]. These could be due to malfunctions of the oculomotor system that enable them to efficiently direct and keep their gaze on a slowly moving target [2]. In patients with neck pain, a proposed mechanism for disturbances in smoothly following the target is likely to be a mismatch between cervical proprioceptive input and its interconnection to the vestibular and the visual systems [4]. Disturbed afferent input from the cervical spine can lead to less accurate image stabilization of the moving target on or near the fovea, especially when the neck is in the torsioned position [5]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
