LE special tests

Question 1

What does the FABER test look for?

Answer 1

general hyp dysfxn, like mobility restriction

- positive if reproduce pain or knee not able to relax/lower

Question 2

How do you perform the scour test?

Answer 2

looks for hip DJD

• pt supine with hip in 90, knee max flexion
• compressive load through femur to load hip joint

may have pain in hip, but could refer to knee or elsewhere

Question 3

What is ely’s test?

Answer 3

looks at tightness of rectus femoris: prone with knee flexed so foot touches but
- positive if hip of testing limb flexes

Question 4

What would be considered a positive 90-90 hamstring test?

Answer 4

if pt is unable to get to 10 degrees from neutral (lacking 10deg ext)

Question 5

What is the test for piriformis syndrome?

Answer 5

• place test limb in knee flexion so that test leg’s foot is lateral to relaxed knee
• internally rotate limb
• positive is test knee is unable to pass over resting knee, or reproduction of pain in butt/sciatic n. distribution

Question 6

What is Craig’s test?

Answer 6

looks for abnormal femoral anteversion

• pt prone, knee flexed to 90
• palpate greater troch while moving hip through IR/ER
• when you feel greater troch pop out most, keep leg there and measure angle of leg relative to a line perpendicular with the table surface

typical is 8-15deg

• less than 8 = retroverted hip
• more than 15 = anteverted hip

Question 7

What is FADDIR/FADIR used for?

Answer 7

anterior-superior impingement, iliopsoas tendonopathy, and anterior labral tears
- positive = pain with or without click

Question 8

At what degree of knee flexion should the knee be placed for valgus/varus stress testing?

Answer 8

20-30deg KF

Question 9

How do you perform the lachman stress test?

Answer 9

pt supine w/ KF to 20-30deg, stabilize femur on your thigh

- attempt to bring tibia anterior

Question 10

What does the pivot shift test for? How do you do it?

Answer 10

anterolateral rotary instability

• pt supine: hip flexed and abducted 30 deg, knee straight, slight IR
• provide valgus force at knee and bring knee into flexion

positive = tibia clunks backward at about 30-40KF, indicating ligament laxity

Question 11

What does the “clunk” in a pivot shift test indicate?

Answer 11

tibia was subluxed before the test, however was then reduced by the pull of the IT band as the knee was flexed

Question 12

What’s the posterior sag test?

Answer 12

testing for lax PCL

• in supine, hip flexed to 45, knee flexed to 90
• observe to see if tibia “sags” in this position

Question 13

In one of the Lachman’s tests, the patient is prone, and you’ve bent the knee to 30deg KF. You attempt to bring the tibia posterior. What ligament is being tested?

Answer 13

PCL

- pushing down to bring tibia anterior would be testing ACL

Question 14

How do you perform McMurray’s test?

Answer 14

pt supine, knee in max flexion

• passively IR and extend the knee repetitively (lateral meniscus)
• then bring knee back up into flexion and extend with ER repetitively (testing medial meniscus)

Question 15

How would you differentiate ligamentous issue vs meniscal issue on a patient with knee pain?

Answer 15

do apley test

• prone, knee flexed to 90
• distract tibia, then rotate IR/ER
• compress axial load through tibia, then rotate IR/ER

pain with compressioin = meniscus
pain with distraction = ligamentous

Question 16

How do you test for plica dysfunction in the knee?

Answer 16

Hughston’s plica test

• pt supine, knee flexed with tibia IR’ed
• passively glide patella medially while palpating medial femoral condyle
• looking for popping as you passively flex/extend knee

Question 17

In what direction do you glide the patella in the patellar apprehension test?

Answer 17

laterally -> pt won’t let you if they’ve had subluxations before cause the patella always goes laterally in those

Question 18

If you get a positive sign on the ballotable patella test, what does this mean?

Answer 18

positive if you tap the knee cap and it looks like it’s floating/”dancing”
- means infrapatellar effusion

Question 19

What is Clarke’s sign?

Answer 19

indicates PF dysfunction

• pushing posterior on superior pole of patella while leg is extended
• pt then makes active quad contraction, and pain = positive test

Question 20

What is the normal Q-angle for men and women? How do you measure for this?

Answer 20

men = 13deg
women = 18deg

measure the angle between the quadriceps muscle and the patellar tendon
- angle greater/less than normal may indicate knee dysfxn

Question 21

Where do you tap for Tinel’s sign to look for common fib n. dysfxn?

Answer 21

tap posterior to fibular head

Question 22

What test idenfities osteochondritis dissecans of the medial femoral condyle?

Answer 22

pt sitting on edge of table, actively extends knee with IR of tibia
- positive if pain present at 30deg with IR but no pain at 30deg with ER

Question 23

Where do you grab the forefoot in subtalar neutral?

Answer 23

pinky side: laterally

Question 24

What does the anterior drawer test of the ankle look at? How to perform?

Answer 24

looks at laxity of ATF

• pt supine with heel just off table
• stabilize lower leg, bring talus anterior

Question 25

What ligament does talar tilt look at?

Answer 25

calcaneofib

- abduction tilt tests deltoid ligament

Question 26

What does Thompson’s test look at?

Answer 26

integrity of achilles tendon

Question 27

Where would you tap with Tinel’s sign to identify dysfunction of posterior tibial nerve? What about deep fibular nerve?

Answer 27

posterior tib: tap medial malleolus

deep fib: anterior to talocrural joint, over dorsal retinaculum

Question 28

What test identifies stress fracture/neuroma in forefoot? How to test this?

Answer 28

morton’s test

- grasp around met heads and squeeze

Question 29

How do you perform Kleiger test?

Answer 29

idenfities integrity of distal tibfib syndesmosis

• pt seated at edge of table
• apply ER force to foot while holding tibia neutral
• positive if joint gapping reproduced

Question 30

What is a positive Ely’s test?

Answer 30

hip rising in prone when attempting to flex knee to butt

Question 31

Where do you compress in Noble compression test?

Answer 31

lateral femoral condyle

Question 32

What is the Windlass test and how is it performed?

Answer 32

done in WB position; looks at windlass effect of plantar fascia

• pt stands on step with toes positioned over edge of step and equal WB
• therapist passively extends the patient’s first MTP
• positive = reproduction of symptoms