Stability Reliability and External Validity of Myrick THIRD Test for Hip Labral Tears

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Diagnostic Imaging
• Physical Examination Techniques

Background:

• Intra-articular hip pain diagnosis lacks specific clinical assessment techniques.
• The Myrick Hip Internal Rotation with Distraction (THIRD) test has established validity and reliability.
• Need for reliable clinical assessment in hip pain diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Myrick THIRD test in a new clinical setting.
• To assess the stability and external validity of the Myrick THIRD test across multiple examiners.
• To compare the diagnostic accuracy of the Myrick THIRD test against advanced imaging modalities.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study including 86 patients aged 18-49 with hip pain.
• Comparison of Myrick THIRD test results with Magnetic Resonance Arthrogram (MRA), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and arthroscopy.
• Statistical analysis included paired proportions, correlation, sensitivity, and specificity.

Main Results:

• All 86 patients with a positive Myrick THIRD test were confirmed by arthroscopy.
• The Myrick THIRD test showed a statistically significant higher accuracy rate than MRA (p=0.002).
• Accuracy of the Myrick THIRD test was comparable to MRI (p=0.08).

Conclusions:

• The Myrick THIRD test is a reliable and valid clinical assessment tool for intra-articular hip pain.
• The Myrick THIRD test demonstrates superior accuracy compared to MRA for hip pain diagnosis.
• This study supports the use of the Myrick THIRD test in clinical practice for evaluating hip pain.