Assesses for cervicothoracic-related musculoskeletal pathology.
- Cervicothoracic-related trauma, pain, or dysfunction
- In conjunction with other tests (eg. Brudzinski’s Sign), it has been tied to myelopathy-based pathologies
Patient Position
- Supine
Examiner Position
- Standing
Steps of Performance
- Patient places one of their palms flaton their sternum
- Examiner places one hand over the patient’s hand on the sternum, while the other hand is placed behind the patient’s head under the occiput
- Examiner passively flexes the cervical spine while maintaining gentle pressure on the sternum
Alternative Methods
Cervical flexion places traction on the posterior elements of the lower cervical and upper thoracic spine while also compressing the anterior vertebral bodies and discs in the region. This broadly challenges the contractile, non-contractile, osseous, and neurologic tissues in the cervicothoracic (CT) region. The examiner’s stabilization of the anterior thoracic spine during the Soto-Hall Test limits the total amount of stress placed on the posterior cervicothoracic region; thereby, reducing the risk of generating substantial harm. Should any of the tissue types challenged possess significant pathology, symptoms associated with the function of that tissue tissue type are likely to arise.
Assesses for cervicothoracic-related musculoskeletal pathology.
- Cervicothoracic-related trauma, pain, or dysfunction
- In conjunction with other tests (eg. Brudzinski’s Sign), it has been tied to myelopathy-based pathologies
Patient Position
- Supine
Examiner Position
- Standing
Steps of Performance
- Patient places one of their palms flaton their sternum
- Examiner places one hand over the patient’s hand on the sternum, while the other hand is placed behind the patient’s head under the occiput
- Examiner passively flexes the cervical spine while maintaining gentle pressure on the sternum
Alternative Methods
Cervical flexion places traction on the posterior elements of the lower cervical and upper thoracic spine while also compressing the anterior vertebral bodies and discs in the region. This broadly challenges the contractile, non-contractile, osseous, and neurologic tissues in the cervicothoracic (CT) region. The examiner’s stabilization of the anterior thoracic spine during the Soto-Hall Test limits the total amount of stress placed on the posterior cervicothoracic region; thereby, reducing the risk of generating substantial harm. Should any of the tissue types challenged possess significant pathology, symptoms associated with the function of that tissue tissue type are likely to arise.