Fact · Accessibility and health
68percent sensitivity
In a 2004 systematic review of 60 studies, Phalen's test had an overall sensitivity of 68 percent and a specificity of 73 percent.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“The most frequently studied test was Phalen's, with an overall estimate of 68% sensitivity and 73% specificity.”
Clinical diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome: a systematic review, JC MacDermid and J Wessel, Journal of Hand Therapy, 2004, Abstract.
Open the original (DOI 10.1197/j.jht.2004.02.015)- What it measures
- The estimates are sample-size-weighted averages across the reviewed studies, which the authors note were often of poor quality.
- What it does not show
- Older than the 2023 meta-analysis, and many included studies were of poor quality. The figures are averages, not a result for any one clinic.