ArticleEuropean journal of neurology2022
Shoulder-Touch test to reveal incongruencies in persons with functional motor disorders.
Article in European journal of neurology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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4 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- Clinical diagnosis and communication in functional neurological disorders: a survey among Italian neurologists.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025Article
- How Does Postural Control in Patients with Functional Motor Disorders Adapt to Multitasking-Based Immersive Virtual Reality?Movement disorders clinical practice · 2024Article
- Clinical neurophysiology of functional motor disorders: IFCN Handbook Chapter.Clinical neurophysiology practice · 2024Review
- Shoulder-Touch test to reveal incongruencies in persons with functional motor disorders.European journal of neurology · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
background and purposeClinical experience suggests that many patients with functional motor disorders (FMD), despite reporting severe balance problems, typically do not fall frequently. This discrepancy may hint towards a functional component. Here, we explored the role of the Shoulder-Touch test, which features a light touch on the patient's shoulders, to reveal a possible functional etiology of postural instability.
methodsWe enrolled consecutive outpatients with a definite diagnosis of FMD. Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) or progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) with postural instability served as controls. Each patient underwent a clinical evaluation including testing for postural instability using the retropulsion test. Patients with an abnormal retropulsion test (score ≥ 1) also received a light touch on their shoulders to explore the presence (S-Touch+) or absence (S-Touch-) of an incongruent, exaggerated postural response, defined as taking three or more steps to recover or a fall if not caught by the examiner.
resultsFrom a total sample of 52 FMD patients, 48 patients were recruited. Twenty-five patients (52%) had an abnormal retropulsion test. Twelve of these 25 patients (48%) had an S-Touch+, either because of need to take two or more steps (n = 4) or a fall if not caught by the examiner (n = 8). None of the 23 PD/PSP patients manifested S-Touch+. The sensitivity of the S-Touch test was 48%, whereas its specificity was 100%.
conclusionThe S-Touch test has a high specificity, albeit with a modest sensitivity, to reveal a functional etiology of postural instability in persons with FMD.
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