Simultaneous palpation of the craniosacral rate at the head and feet: Intrarater and interrater reliability and rate comparisons

Abstract

Background and Purpose. The main purpose of this study was to determine the interrater and intrarater reliability of measurements obtained during palpation of the craniosacral rate at the head and feet. Palpated craniosacral rates of head and feet measured simultaneously were also compared. Subjects. Twenty-eight adult subjects and 2 craniosacral examiners participated in the study. Methods. A within-subjects repeated-measures design was used. A standard cubicle privacy curtain, hung over the subject's waist, was used to prevent the examiners from seeing each other. Results. Interrater intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were .08 at the head and .19 at the feet. Intrarater ICCs ranged from .18 to .30. Craniosacral rates simultaneously palpated at the head and feet were different. Conclusion and Discussion. The results did not support the theories that underlie craniosacral therapy or claims that craniosacral motion can be palpated reliably.