Execution:
- Patient is in supine position with a neutral spine
- The patient is then asked to bring the leg not being tested to the chest until his lumbar spine flattens
- Optional: The examiner measures the angle at the knee to objectively measure the degree of shortening
Positive Outcome: The patient’s contralateral (extended) thigh lifts off the table and the patient feels a stretch in the groin on the contralateral side, which indicates (ilio)psoas shortening. An abducting contralateral leg might indicate a shortened iliotibial band (J-sign)
| Study | Reliability | Sn | Sp | LR+ | LR- |
| Peeler et al. (2013): visual |
Intra-rater κ=0.47 Inter-rater κ=0.39 |
NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Peeler et al. (2013): goniometer |
Intra-rater ICC=0.52 Inter-rater ICC=0.60 |
NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Comment: Results call into question the statistical reliability of the Thomas test | |||||
