SIMULTANEOUS PALPATION OF THE CRANIOSACRAL RATE AT THE HEAD AND FEET - INTRARATER AND INTERRATER RELIABILITY AND RATE COMPARISONS

Background and Purpose. The main purpose of this study was to determin e the interrater and intrarater reliability of measurements obtained d uring palpation of the craniosacral rate at the head and feet. Palpate d craniosacral rates of head and feet measured simultaneously were als o compared, Subjects. Twenty-eight adult subjects and 2 craniosacral e xaminers participated in the study. Methods. a within-subjects repeate d-measures design was used. A standard cubicle privacy curtain, hung o ver the subject's waist, was used to pr-event the examiners from seein g each other. Results. Interrater intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were .08 at the head and .19 at the feet. Intrarater ICCs range d from .18 to .30. Craniosacral rates simultaneously palpated at the h ead and feet were different. Conclusion and Discussion. The results di d not support the theories that underlie craniosacral therapy or claim s that craniosacral motion can be palpated reliably.