Background: the sacroiliac joint as a source of back pain is a recurrent subject of controversy. Although the sacroiliac joint is accepted as a source of pain, there is no general agreement concerning the validity of different tests. The aim of this article is to determine the validity of pain provocation tests for sacroiliac joint based on a literature review. Methods: the PubMed, Medline, PEDro, Cochrane and Cinahl electronic databases were searched from year 2000 to 2014. Results: ten studies were included. The sensitivity values for different individual tests ranged from 0.0 to 1.0 and specificity values ranged from 0.16 to 1.0. The sensitivity values for composites of tests ranged from 0.6 to 1.0 and specificity values ranged from 0.42 to 1.0. Conclusion: despite mixed results, most authors agreed that the validity of the sacroiliac joint tests has not yet been studied enough. Composites of tests, at least three positive tests, appear to be valid and acceptable for clinical use. Further research of validity should include individual tests as well as composites of tests and compared to a single reference standard in order to obtain better and more accurate results.
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