What is the protocol for the Stork test?

What is the protocol for the Stork test?

• A. Examiner palpates sacrum and PSIS while patient lifts one knee toward chest
• B. The patient lies prone and raises hips
• C. The examiner presses on the sacrum with a hammer
• D. The patient sits and twists torso

Answer: (A)

The Stork test evaluates sacroiliac joint function by stressing the joint during a single-leg stance. The protocol involves the patient standing on one leg and bringing the opposite knee toward the chest while the examiner palpates the sacrum and the PSIS (posterior superior iliac spine) to observe movement or pain at the SI region. This specific setup—one-leg stance with knee lifted and simultaneous palpation of the sacrum/PSIS—captures how the SI joint behaves under functional load. This matches the described protocol because it directly tests SI joint stability by creating unilateral stress and watching for abnormal motion or elicited pain at the sacral/PSIS area. The other options describe different movements or maneuvers that do not assess SI joint behavior in this single-leg stance with palpation, so they don’t reflect the Stork test.

The Stork test evaluates sacroiliac joint function by stressing the joint during a single-leg stance. The protocol involves the patient standing on one leg and bringing the opposite knee toward the chest while the examiner palpates the sacrum and the PSIS (posterior superior iliac spine) to observe movement or pain at the SI region. This specific setup—one-leg stance with knee lifted and simultaneous palpation of the sacrum/PSIS—captures how the SI joint behaves under functional load.

This matches the described protocol because it directly tests SI joint stability by creating unilateral stress and watching for abnormal motion or elicited pain at the sacral/PSIS area. The other options describe different movements or maneuvers that do not assess SI joint behavior in this single-leg stance with palpation, so they don’t reflect the Stork test.