La Revue de l'Ostéopathie

Aim: We tested the way the STF is carried out, aiming to assess how it can be reproduced and what potential for diagnosis it gives; knowing that osteopaths sometimes disagree on it.

 

Methods: 256 voluntary asymptomatic subjects were tested with the STF. Subject position was standardized, with series of precise feet positioning, and two practitioners blinded to each other.

 

Results: the 57.8% matching rate and the 0.12 mean Kappa coefficient calculation are influenced by the subject's feet positioning and gender, while posterior thigh muscle tension is not relevant. The SFT's reliability is doubled if tested in a standardized position, on a male subject, then the highest Kappa value can be found k=0,37 [0,18-0,57] (p<0,001). The Kappa value was not significant for the STF in female subjects.

 

Conclusion: The SFT is a simple test, easy to realize, thus an interesting step for the osteopathic clinical screening. Its reliability is rough but some interexaminer agreement (low) can be obtained provided that the feet positioning is standardized, with a 20 cm distance between the feet. Realizing the test in a spontaneous position lessen the reliability. The SFT can still be part of the routine examination, as long as other tests are used to complete it.