Discriminative Validity of the Global Physiotherapy Examination-52 in Patients with Long-Lasting Musculoskeletal Pain versus Healthy Persons

Abstract

Objectives: The aims of this study were to evaluate the discriminative ability of a body examination in healthy subjects versus patients with long-lasting musculoskeletal pain, and further to compare physical findings in patients with localized versus widespread pain, and between women and men.Methods: The Global Physiotherapy Examination [GPE-52] was used to evaluate bodily aberrations in 247 patients [159 women, 88 men] with long-lasting musculoskeletal pain. The GPE consists of 52 standardized tests within five main domains: Posture, Respiration, Movement, Muscle, and Skin. Patients were categorized into three subgroups according to pain distribution: pain localized either to the upper or lower body, or widespread pain. For comparison, 104 healthy persons without pain [64 women, 40 men] were also examined.Results: Significant differences were found between healthy persons and patients within all five main domains, most within the Movement and Muscle domains, least within the Respiration and Skin domain...