Abstract
Palpitation is an important component of a comprehensive musculoskeletal and neurologic examination of the cervical spine in individuals with neck pain, but examiners should not base diagnostic conclusions (eg, facetogenic pain) and interventional procedures on palpatory findings alone. A methodological approach to palpation of the posterior neck includes evaluation of the paraspinal musculature, the tissues that overlie the facet (zygapophyseal) joints, and the midline spinous processes. Although studies have shown low interexaminer reliability, palpation is an important component of the physical examination for determining general anatomic regions of symptoms and in establishing rapport with the examinee. In the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides), Fifth Edition, the diagnosis-related estimate (DRE) or injury method lists both muscle spasm and muscle guarding as potential physical exam findings by palpation. In this edition, the range-of-motion method for rating spinal impairment states that an examiner cannot find muscle spasm on exam and rate the individual's impairment on the same day because, by definition, the individual is not at maximum medial improvement. Despite acceptance by the AMA Guides, Fifth Edition, neither spasm nor guarding appears to be a reliable finding on palpation. The AMA Guides, Sixth Edition, provides a different method for determining spinal impairment, and the authors recommend limiting physical examination findings used in impairment rating to those with acceptable interrater reliability.
