Torp-Pedersen S(1), Matteoli S, Wilhjelm JE, Amris K, Bech JI, Christensen R, Danneskiold-Samsøe B. Torture. 2009;19(1):19-26.
This article shares the results of a test performed to determine how accurate investigators are in determining whether a heel pad model is soft, medium or hard. (Reduced elasticity in the heel pads has been reported as a characteristic sequela of falanga.) This test used nine samples tested by two blinded experienced investigators, and found that investigators were able to identify three known elasticities correctly in approximately two-thirds of the cases. The use of clinical examination in documenting alleged exposure to torture warrants a high diagnostic accuracy of the applied tests. The study implies that palpatory testing of the human heel pad may not meet this demand. It is therefore recommended that a device able to perform an accurate measurement of the viscous-elastic properties of the heel pad be developed
Note that this study’s findings were very similar to those of The diagnostic value of clinical examination after falanga.
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