POSTEROLATERAL NECK
FLEXORS STRENGTH TEST
• Testing for
To assess the strength of the Posterolateral Neck Flexors (splenius capitis and cervicis, semispinalis capitis and cervicis, cervical Erector Spinae on one side)
• Test positioning
The client is supine.
• Action
The client abducts their arm to 90°, flexes the elbows to 90°, and rests their dorsal hands on the table.
The client extends their neck. The therapist stabilizes the side being tested.
The client then rotates the head towards the side being tested.
The client holds the head in this position.
The client keeps the position against gravity (Grade 3).
The therapist holds the temporalis area of the unaffected side, then pushes in an oblique posterolateral direction, away from the tested side.
• Positive finding
Weakness of the Posterolateral Neck Flexors if the client is unable to hold their neck against gravity or the therapist’s pressure.
The Posterolateral Neck Flexor Strength Test is based on the foundational work of Dr. Florence Kendall and Dr. Henry Otis Kendall in muscle function, and Dr. Vladimir Janda's extensive research on muscle balance and postural control.
