MUSCLE PALPATION WITH CONTROLLED FINGER PRESSURE - NEW EQUIPMENT FOR THE STUDY OF TENDER MYOFASCIAL TISSUES

While manual palpation is the most important method for evaluation of tender myofascial tissues, it lacks reliability. Therefore, we have de veloped an instrument, called a 'palpometer', which allows the measure ment of pressure exerted during palpation. The palpometer consists of a thin pressure-sensitive plastic device attached to the palpating fin ger, and of a scale recording the pressure applied to the device. Know n forces were applied to the pressure sensitive device under various e xperimental conditions and the corresponding values were read on the p alpometer scale. Then 14 observers, blinded to the palpometer scale, p alpated the temporal muscle on the same subject twice, with an interva l of 1 week. A highly significant correlation was found between palpom eter recordings and forces applied to the pressure-sensitive device (P < 0.0001). Exerted force at a given palpometer value varied 3.1% with in and 7.2% between 2 observers. During palpation of the temporal musc le pressure intensities within the 14 observers did not differ signifi cantly from week to week (P = 0.68). Between the 14 observers pressure intensities varied considerably with a range of 73.5-196 arbitrary un its. Thus, a reliable instrument for measuring pressure intensities du ring palpation of myofascial tissue has been developed. The large vari ation in palpation pressures between observers indicates that palpatio n of tender myofascial tissue may be considerably improved by use of t he palpometer. This instrument will be indispensable in research studi es employing palpation and in the training of physicians to diagnose m yofascial pain disorders.