The interexaminer reliability of static and motion palpation for the assessment of spinal joint dysfunction in healthy infants aged two to ten weeks

Abstract

Chiropractors are treating spinal joint dysfunction in infants that present with conditions such as infantile colic. Authors conducting research into spinal joint dysfunction in infants have used static and motion palpation to identify these spinal lesions in the infants. The reliability of static and motion palpation used in infants for the assessment of spinal joint dysfunction has not yet been established. The lack of a reliable assessment tool for spinal joint dysfunction in infants reduces the inferential validity of the research studies assessing the efficacy of chiropractic treatment in infants. It is therefore necessary to establish the interexaminer reliability of static and motion palpation in infants.

The purpose of this study was to determine the interexaminer reliability of static and motion palpation for the assessment of spinal joint dysfunction in healthy infants aged two to ten weeks