Development of the Palpation Domain for Muscle and Skin in the Global Body Examination. Issue 1 (March 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kvåle, Alice; Bunkan, Berit Heir; Opjordsmoen, Stein; Friis, Svein
• Is Part Of: Journal of musculoskeletal pain. Volume 21:Issue 1(2013)
• Page Start: 9
• Page End: 18
• Publication Date: 2013-03
• Subjects: Nonarticular rheumatism -- Periodicals; Myalgia -- Periodicals; Pain -- Periodicals; Musculoskeletal system -- Diseases -- Periodicals; 616.7
• DOI: 10.3109/10582452.2012.762821
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1058-2452

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="executive-summary"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec> <title>Objectives</title> <p>To develop new scales within palpation of muscle and skin domains based on 16 items from the Global Physiotherapy Examination and 46 items from the Comprehensive Body Examination [CBE], and to investigate how well these new scales would discriminate between healthy individuals and different groups of patients, when compared with the original methods.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>Methods</title> <p>Two physiotherapists independently examined 132 persons [34 healthy, 32 with localized pain, 32 with widespread pain, and 34 with psychoses]. Muscle and skin domains were studied separately. The numbers of items were reduced by omitting items with too high a correlation and by exploratory factor analysis [EFA]. Internal consistency was examined with Cronbach's α. Discriminative validity was examined using the Mann–Whitney U-test and the area under the curve.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>Results</title> <p>Only items from the left body half was included in the EFA, as very high correlation [mean r<italic> </italic> = 0.90] was found in the 23 bilateral palpation pairs in CBE. The initial 62 items were reduced to 11 for palpation of muscle and 5 for palpation of skin. Cronbach's α was 0.88 for the subscales for Muscle and Skin. The new Palpation domain in the Global Body Examination showed excellent discriminative ability between healthy persons and the different patient groups [P < 0.001; area under the curve 0.81–0.94]. Patients with localized pain had significantly less muscular and skin aberration than patients with widespread pain.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>Conclusions</title> <p>A new Global Body Examination Palpation domain with acceptable psychometric properties was developed. It had fewer items than the Global Physiotherapy Examination and CBE, but with almost the same discriminating ability.</p> </sec> </abstract>