This RAND Corporation report used a multidisciplinary expert panel, including orthopaedic surgeons, chiropractors, family physicians and neurologists, to establish clinical standards for when manipulation and mobilisation of the neck are appropriate. It was based on a structured review of published research combined with formal expert consensus methods.
What was studied?
The panel reviewed over 500 publications on cervical manipulation and mobilisation for neck pain and headaches, then rated specific clinical scenarios as appropriate or inappropriate using a structured, two-round expert consensus process known as the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method.
What did they find?
The panel produced detailed clinical criteria distinguishing appropriate from inappropriate use of cervical manipulation and mobilisation across a range of clinical scenarios. The specific final ratings from this 130-page monograph were not accessible for this Guide, so those detailed conclusions are not reported here.
Why it matters
This report represents a significant, historically important effort to define clear clinical standards for neck manipulation using a rigorous, multidisciplinary consensus method, though its detailed findings still require verification.
Why we included it
It illustrates a broader editorial principle: a source can be historically significant and worth citing as background, without its unverified specific findings being treated as settled clinical fact.
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What was studied?
The panel reviewed over 500 publications on cervical manipulation and mobilisation for neck pain and headaches, then rated specific clinical scenarios as appropriate or inappropriate using a structured, two-round expert consensus process known as the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method.
What did they find?
The panel produced detailed clinical criteria distinguishing appropriate from inappropriate use of cervical manipulation and mobilisation across a range of clinical scenarios. The specific final ratings from this 130-page monograph were not accessible for this Guide, so those detailed conclusions are not reported here.
Why it matters
This report represents a significant, historically important effort to define clear clinical standards for neck manipulation using a rigorous, multidisciplinary consensus method, though its detailed findings still require verification.
Why we included it
It illustrates a broader editorial principle: a source can be historically significant and worth citing as background, without its unverified specific findings being treated as settled clinical fact.