ABSTRACT
Background: Hip pain is a common clinical problem, and numerous tests are used to diagnose structural pathology. According to study, 14.3% of adults 60 years and older reported significant hip pain. According to research by the National Arthritis Data Workgroup, based on information from the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I), adult women are more likely than adult men to have hip osteoarthritis (OA), with 0.5% reporting moderate or severe symptoms. It is important to inquire about any referred pain as well as the duration, location, severity, and characteristics of the pain. Physical examination test is used to assess hip problem, a test is said to be reliable, when a single or many clinicians who administers the exam can reach the same conclusion after each administration. This essay discusses the method for performing a hip physical examination, which covers subjects for both upright and supine exams as well as provocative movements and a physical examination for hip micro instability.
Objectives: To systematically review the reliability of physical examination procedures used in the clinical examination of patients with hip pain.
Study appraisal and synthesis methods: Pre-established criteria were used to judge the quality of the studies (high quality >60% methods score) and satisfactory levels of reliability (kappa or intraclass correlation coefficient ≥0.85, sensitivity analysis 0.70). A qualitative synthesis was performed based on levels of evidence.
Results: Thirteen studies were included with a mean method score of 55.15%. Seventeen studies were deemed to be of high quality; high quality studies were less likely to meet the pre-agreed level of reliability. The majority of studies indicated poor reliability for all procedures investigated.
Conclusions and implications: There is no consistent evidence that any examination procedure used in hip assessments has reliable value to support. Patients with hip issues should be categorized using alternative, trustworthy approaches.
Key words: Hip disorder, Physical assessment, Diagnosis, Investigation and reliability, physical test.