Assessment of Craniocervical flexion test in people with migraine

The Craniocervical Flexion Test shows robust reliability in women with migraine and correlates with headache severity and cervical muscle function, independent of neck pain.

The objective of this research was to evaluate the reliability, validity, standard measurement error (SEM), and minimal detectable change (MDC) of the Craniocervical Flexion Test (CCFT) in women with migraine.

Participants underwent assessment by two examiners to assess inter-examiner reliability, and assessments were repeated at a 7-10-day interval to evaluate intra-examiner reliability. Construct validity was determined using headache and neck pain frequency and intensity, along with self-reported Neck Disability Index (NDI), Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6) and the Allodynia Symptom Checklist/Brazil (ASC-12). Cervical endurance tests and maximal voluntary isometric contractions of the cervical flexors were also carried out.

One hundred and three women with migraine were enrolled. Intra-examiner reliability was considered as good, while inter-examiner reliability was rated as moderate. The SEM for intra-examiner and inter-examiner reliability were 1.31 and 1.36 mmHg, respectively, with MDC of 3.63 and 3.77 mmHg. Multiple linear regression showed significant associations between CCFT performance, HIT-6 scores, and cervical endurance.

CCFT shows good intra-examiner and moderate inter-examiner reliability in women with migraine, and its correlation with HIT-6 scores and cervical endurance suggests it as a valuable tool for assessing musculoskeletal impairments in this population.