APA Clinical guide to safe manual therapy practice in the cervical spine 2017
This page is currently undergoing work, but please come back later to check out new information!!
Introduction[edit | edit source]
Manual therapy can form an important instrument of the physiotherapy tool kit when managing patients with neck pain disorders. Although rare, the risk of catastrophic adverse effects has been associated with manual therapy of the cervical spine. The most serious associated adverse events include cervical artery dissection (CAD) and vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI), both of which can lead to stroke.
The purpose of this Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) clinical guide is to assist physiotherapists to practice safe manual therapy within the cervical spine region with the awareness and knowledge to be able to manage the risks and recognise early warning signs of adverse events.
