Reliability of motion palpation procedures to detect sacroiliac joint fixations

The purpose of this study was to assess the inter- and intraexaminer reliability of the Gillet-motion palpation procedure using 10 qualified chiropractors and 11 patients with a sacroiliac joint problem. Intraexaminer reliability was found to be statistically significant for all agreement scores investigated. Interexaminer reliability was found to be statistically significant for some of the agreement scores investigated but not for others. Severity of the low back problems did not seem to influence intra- or interexaminer agreement scores; however, chiropractor expertise did. High expertise was associated with lower intraexaminer agreement scores than low expertise. This finding is in contradiction with traditional beliefs and reported findings. The gait of the patient group was found to be significantly different from that of normal subjects as noted in an earlier report.