Finding the seventh neck vertebra by feeling the spine while the neck turns and bends.
Official title: Identification of the Seventh Cervical Vertebra by Palpation With Neck Rotation and Side Bending in Patients With Neck Pain
Run by General Committee of Teaching Hospitals and Institutes, Egypt · NCT07018219 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This test will see if feeling the neck during rotation and side bending can accurately find the seventh neck vertebra in adults with neck pain.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years to 60 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 25 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | General Committee of Teaching Hospitals and Institutes, Egypt Government |
| Locations | 1 site (Zagazig) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | May 3, 2025 |
| Main results expected | July 20, 2025 |
| Study ends | July 20, 2025 |
| Registry record updated | June 12, 2025 |
| Trial ID | NCT07018219 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adults aged 18–60 with neck pain who have not had prior cervical spine surgery and do not have ankylosing spondylitis or congenital cervical malformations are ideal candidates.
✕Probably not a fit
Patients with suspected ankylosing spondylitis, prior cervical spine surgery, congenital cervical malformations, or those unable to travel to the study site are unlikely to benefit from this test.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
Clinicians will use a palpation technique during neck rotation and lateral bending to identify the most prominent cervical spinous process and compare that finding to imaging. The procedure is performed on adults aged 18–60 who present with neck pain and have no prior cervical surgery, ankylosing spondylitis, or congenital cervical malformation. X‑ray imaging will serve as the reference standard to determine whether the palpation-based identification corresponds to the seventh cervical vertebra (C7). The work is conducted at a single center, Al Ahrar Teaching Hospital in Zagazig, with palpation maneuvers followed by radiographic confirmation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the technique could help clinicians more reliably identify C7 at the bedside, improving the accuracy and safety of examinations and procedures that depend on correct vertebral level identification.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work reported conventional palpation accuracy around 37.5% and a flexion‑extension method about 77.1%, while the rotation and side‑bending palpation technique has been less widely tested.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * neck pain, age (18- 60) male and female Exclusion Criteria: * with suspected ankylosing spondylitis, previous surgery on the cervical spine or congenital malformation of the cervical region.
Where it's running
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Al ahrar teaching hospital
Zagazig, Egypt Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Eslam Elsayed Shohda, phd, pt
- Email: dreslamelsayed@hotmail.com
- Phone: 002-01009482231
How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.