Simultaneous palpation of the craniosacral rate at the head and feet: intrarater and interrater reliability and rate comparisons.
OBJECTIVE
The main purpose of this study was to determine the interrater and intrarater reliability of measurements obtained during palpation of the craniosacral rate at the head and feet. Palpated craniosacral rates of head and feet measured simultaneously were also compared. Subjects. Twenty-eight adult subjects and 2 craniosacral examiners participated in the study.


METHODS
A within-subjects repeated-measures design was used. A standard cubicle privacy curtain, hung over the subject's waist, was used to prevent the examiners from seeing each other.


RESULTS
Interrater intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were .08 at the head and .19 at the feet. Intrarater ICCs ranged from .18 to .30. Craniosacral rates simultaneously palpated at the head and feet were different.


CONCLUSIONS
The results did not support the theories that underlie craniosacral therapy or claims that craniosacral motion can be palpated reliably.
Rogers
J S
JS
US Air Force Academy Cadet Physical Therapy Clinic, US Air Force Academy, CO 80840, USA. rogersjs.sgo@usafa.af.mil
Witt
P L
PL
Gross
M T
MT
Hacke
J D
JD
Genova
P A
PA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000502:physiology*; D015170:Cerebrospinal Fluid Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D004388:Dura Mater / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D010173:Palpation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012447:Sacrum; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012886:Skull