Execution
- 1Have the patient lie prone with the head supported near the edge of the table.
- 2Position the cervical spine in neutral and explains the endurance hold.
- 3Have the patient lift or maintains the head and neck in the required neutral test position without extension drift.
- 4Monitor for loss of neutral alignment, pain-limited failure, substitution, or inability to sustain the position.
- 5Record hold time and symptom response.
Positive outcome
Early fatigue, inability to maintain neutral cervical alignment, or clear weakness of the cervical extensors indicates a positive impairment finding. Pain-limited stopping should be documented separately from endurance failure.
Studies
| Study | Reliability | Sn | Sp | LR+ | LR− |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sebastian et al. (2015) | 0.80 | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Selistre et al. (2021) | acceptable interrater / intrarater reliability | NA | NA | NA | NA |
CommentCEET helps identify cervical extensor endurance impairment, especially in motor-control presentations. It does not diagnose a specific cervical pathology and should be interpreted with pain irritability and posture / movement-control findings.
Low Clinical Value