Execution:
- Patient lies in prone position with the legs hanging off the table and the feet on the ground
- The examiner applies PA pressure on the processus spinosi of L1-L5
- If pain is provoked on a vertebrae from L1-L5, the patient is asked to lift the feet off the floor
- The examiner then applies PA pressure again on the most painful lumbar level
Positive Outcome: Pain upon PA pressure on the most painful level is reduced when the patient lifts the feet off the ground and thus compensates spinal instability by contracting the erector spinae
| Study | Reliability | Sn | Sp | LR+ | LR- |
| Fritz et al. (2005) | Inter к= 0.69 | 61 | 57 | 1.41 | 0.69 |
| Ferrari et al. (2015) | NA | 71.4 | 57.1 | 1.67 | 0.5 |
| Hicks et al. (2003) | Inter к= 0.87 | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Schneider et al. (2008) | Inter к= 0.46 | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Rabin et al. (2013) | Inter к= 0.67 | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Comment: This test has a poor diagnostic value but is used in the clinical prediction rule by Hicks et al. (2005) to determine the success of a stabilization program | |||||
