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Original Article

Palpation of Skeletal Muscles: A Psychometric Evaluation of the Muscular Items of the Comprehensive Body Examination

, , , &
Pages 21-30 | Received 16 Jul 2002, Accepted 19 Dec 2002, Published online: 16 Jan 2010
 

Abstract

Objectives: The present study aims at evaluating the psychometric properties of a palpatory examination of skeletal muscles.

Methods: Fifty-one nonpatients [NP group], 17 Patients with Pain Syndromes [PSP group], 27 Patients with Psychosis [PP group] and four patients with nonpsychotic mental disorders were examined by palpation.

Results: Through factor analyses four sub-scales emerged: 1. Peripheral Slackness [PS], 2. Central Hardness [CH], 3. Peripheral Hardness [PH], and 4. Central Slackness [CS]. The subscales showed high internal consistency [Chronbach's alpha:. 72–.92] and were slightly to moderately intercorrelated. The PS, CH and CS subscales discriminated significantly between the NP and the PP groups. Compared with males, the females were characterized by more slack and less hard muscular consistency. No significant differences for any of the subscales emerged when comparing scores for patients with and without medication.

Conclusions: The new subscales will be relevant for physiotherapists, physicians, and psychologists who want to study the state of muscular consistency in individuals with various mental disorders.

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