Mid-back & ribs: examination tests with their numbers
2 tests from the book, each with the published accuracy figures that exist for it, and what a positive and a negative result mean.
- Closed-fist percussion testLR+ 4.3 · LR− 0.3 · A weak test on its own
- Supine sign (severe pain lying flat)LR+ 12.2 · LR− 0.2 · Treat with caution
Get the book for sorting chest-wall pain from the heart, lungs and aorta, and spotting the osteoporotic fracture
These pages give the published figures. Rule It In, Rule It Out adds, for every test with published figures in the chapter ‘The thoracic spine and chest wall’: how to do it, what counts as positive, how to read the result, and, where studied, whether combining tests helps.
Coming in late 2026 as a PDF and a paperback. Join the list to hear when it's out
One study, one test, once a month
Rule It In is a free evidence letter for musculoskeletal clinicians: one recent study explained, one examination test with its real numbers. From Trokos, publisher of Rule It In, Rule It Out.