Clinical examination of myofascial trigger points is reliable. Intertester reliability verified in a total of 304 muscles

摘要

Background. The objective of this study is to respond to the demand for a scientific verification of the reliability of various examination techniques used in manual medicine. Patients and methods. A total of 304 muscles were examined in 38 test subjects by a doctor and a physiotherapist with extensive experience in the field of MTrP following a standardized procedure. The evaluation was made using kappa statistics. Results. The reliability of the clinical examination of the MTrP ranged from good to excellent, with kappa values up to 0.82. Conclusion. In view of these results, MTrP can be considered a valuable clinical parameter in the assessment of pain in the locomotor system.