An investigation into the palpatory threshold of fifth year students at the London School of Osteopathy

Paul Henighan                                                                    Supervisor: Heath Williams 

Abstract:
Design: A repeated measure test was carried out to see if there was consistency across the group and between dominant and non-dominant hand. Seventeen subjects participated in the study. Palpation thresholds were recorded for dominant and non dominant hands on two occasions by moving a monofilament wire under an increasing number of sheets of paper. 
Results: There was no significant difference in the palpatory threshold between the dominant and non dominant hand on either test. There was a significant 
difference between the results test one and test two for the dominant hand and the non dominant hand. 
Conclusion: The investigation appeared to show a marked learning effect between the two tests. Further research with improved control measures and consensus training to standardise the search procedure may lead to more reliable results.