Have uniform diagnostic labels dfor cervical radiculopathy been used to include patients in RCTs

What is it about?

Cervical radiculopathy (CR) is a common diagnosis. It is unclear if intervention studies use uniform definitions and criteria for patient selection. Our objective was to assess the uniformity of diagnostic criteria and definitions used in intervention studies to select patients with CR.

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Why is it important?

Criteria used to select patients with CR varied widely between the previous different intervention studies. Selection criteria and test methods used are poorly described. There is consensus on the presence of pain, but not on the exact location of pain. Systematic reviews on the efectiveness of therapies suffer as a consequence.