The Sit-up Test: An Alternate Clinical Test for Evaluating Pediatric Torticollis

Abstract

The sit-up test, a new evaluation method for differentiating between ocular and orthopaedic torticollis, was evaluated against the monocular occlusion test, using results of three-step testing for standardization. The study group consisted of 31 patients with torticollis between the ages of 4 and 12.5 years. Subjects were selected based only on their ability to cooperate with three-step testing. Three-step testing identified 27 of the 31 patients as having ocular torticollis, with the remaining 4 having an orthopaedic etiology. Sit-up testing correctly identified all 27 ocular torticollis patients, with no false positives or false negatives. Monocular occlusion testing detected at best 22 (81.4%) of the ocular torticollis patients, with no false positives.