J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1983 Dec; 6(4): 181-3.

Diagnostic palpation of the spine: a review of procedures and assessment of their reliability.

Russell R.

Spinal palpation as employed by practitioners of manipulative therapy is a common diagnostic tool used to identify manipulable lesions. Three methods of diagnostic palpation are static palpation, active motion palpation and passive motion palpation. As a diagnostic technique, spinal palpation suffers from a lack of research on its statistical reliability. Assessment of the clinical efficacy of manipulative therapy would be better addressed if a statistically reliable method of palpatory diagnosis were developed.