What specificity was reported for palpating the lateral joint line to diagnose lateral meniscal tears in the Logerstedt study?

• A. 0.99
• B. 0.97
• C. 0.85
• D. 0.75

Answer: (B)

Specificity tells us how good a test is at ruling out those who do not have the condition. A highly specific test has few false positives, so a positive result strongly suggests the disease is actually present.

In the Logerstedt study, palpating the lateral joint line for lateral meniscal tears showed a specificity of 0.97. This means that among people without a lateral meniscal tear, 97% would have a negative palpation result. Only about 3% would be falsely identified as positive.

So, a positive lateral joint line palpation in this context is strong evidence of a lateral meniscal tear, assuming the clinical scenario supports it. Remember that specificity alone doesn’t tell the whole story—sensitivity matters too, because a test can be very specific yet miss many true cases if sensitivity is low.