References:
Snodgrass SJ et al. The clinical utility of cervical range of motion in diagnosis, prognosis, and evaluating the effects of manipulation: a systematic review. Physiotherapy. 2014;100:290-304.
Gross A, et al. Manipulation and mobilization for neck pain contrasted against an inactive control or another active treatment. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2015:CD004249.
Karas S, et al. The effect of direction specific thoracic spine manipulation on the cervical spine: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Manual and Manip Therapy. Nov, 2016. (1-8)
A RCT that compared thoracic prone manipulation for extension vs. supine manipulation for flexion found that both groups had positive results when pain, neck disability index, and global rating of change were assessed.
Leaver AM, et al. Conservative interventions provide short-term relief for non-specific neck pain: a systematic review. J Physiotherapy. 2010;56:73-85.
Young JL, et al. Thoracic manipulation versus mobilization in patients with mechanical neck pain: a systematic review. J Man Manip Ther. 2014;22:141-153.
Southerst D, et al. Is exercise effective for the management of neck pain and associated disorders or whiplash-associated disorders? A systematic review by the Ontario Protocol for Traffic Injury Management (OPTIMa) Collaboration. Spine J. 2016;16:1503-1523.