Accuracy of spinal orthopaedic tests: a systematic review
2006

Accuracy of Spinal Orthopaedic Tests: A Systematic Review

Sample size: 21 publication Evidence: low

Author Information

Author(s): Simpson Rob, Gemmell Hugh

Primary Institution: Anglo-European College of Chiropractic

Hypothesis

The study aims to determine the accuracy of spinal orthopaedic tests through a systematic review of the methodological quality of papers.

Conclusion

There is a lack of quantity and quality of orthopaedic tests for the spine found in the literature.

Supporting Evidence

  • Twenty-one papers met the inclusion criteria for the review.
  • QUADAS scores ranged from 4 to 12 out of a possible 14.
  • 29% of the studies achieved a score of 10 or more.

Takeaway

The study looked at how well different tests can find problems in the spine, but found that many tests are not very reliable.

Methodology

A systematic review of literature was conducted, evaluating studies for their methodological quality using the QUADAS tool.

Potential Biases

Potential bias due to the exclusion of non-English studies and unpublished research.

Limitations

The review included only studies published in English and did not search for unpublished papers.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1746-1340-14-26

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