Fortin Finger Test
Purpose
The Fortin Finger Test is used to detect sacroiliac joint dysfunction.[1]
The sacroiliac joint can be a source of low back pain and lower limb pain. While sacroiliac joint pain is believed to be localized from the buttock to the upper thigh, however the main site of pain would be around the SIJ which patient can indicate with a finger.[2]
Technique
Ask the patient to localize their area of pain using one finger.
A positive test is when the patient twice identifies the painful region as the area inferomedial to the posterior superior iliac spine (PSIS) within 1 cm using one finger.[1]
Evidence
The original study by Fortin JD, Falco FJ (1997), reported excellent interrater reliability. One study did utilize the test to determine if subjects were having pain from the SI joint or facet joints[4]. It did find the diagnostic accuracy was pretty low when an injection was utilized as well for identifying SI joint dysfunction.
However, larger control studies are necessary to determine the predictive value, sensitivity and specificity. [1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Fortin JD, Falco FJ. The Fortin finger test: an indicator of sacroiliac pain. American journal of orthopedics (Belle Mead, NJ). 1997 Jul 1;26(7):477-80.
- ↑ Murakami E, Aizawa T, Noguchi K, Kanno H, Okuno H, Uozumi H. Diagram specific to sacroiliac joint pain site indicated by one-finger test. Journal of Orthopaedic Science. 2008 Nov;13(6):492-7.
- ↑ Joel Sattgast. SIJ & Pelvis | Fortin Finger Test. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeZl8_f877w[last accessed 3/8/2022]
- ↑ Chou S-H, Lu C-C, Lin S-Y, Shen P-C, Liu Z-M, Chih W-H, Shih C-L. A New Strategy for Rapid Diagnosis of the Source of Low Back Pain in Patients Scheduled to Undergo Treatment with Cooled Radiofrequency Ablation. Diagnostics. 2021; 11(10):1822. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics11101822