Drawer test
Encyclopedia
The drawer test is a test used by physicians to detect rupture of the cruciate ligament
s in the knee
. The patient should be supine
with the hips flexed to 45 degrees, the knees flexed to 90 degrees and the feet flat on table. The examiner sits on the patient's feet and grasps the patient's tibia
and pulls it forward (anterior drawer test) or backward (posterior drawer test). If the tibia pulls forward or backward more than normal, the test is considered positive. Excessive displacement of the tibia anteriorly indicates that the ACL is likely torn, whereas excessive posterior displacement of the tibia indicates that the PCL is likely torn. The Lachman test is a variation on this test in which the knee is in thirty degrees flexion.
Cruciate ligament
Cruciate ligaments are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee...
s in the knee
Knee
The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...
. The patient should be supine
Supine position
The supine position is a position of the body: lying down with the face up, as opposed to the prone position, which is face down, sometimes with the hands behind the head or neck. When used in surgical procedures, it allows access to the peritoneal, thoracic and pericardial regions; as well as the...
with the hips flexed to 45 degrees, the knees flexed to 90 degrees and the feet flat on table. The examiner sits on the patient's feet and grasps the patient's tibia
Tibia
The tibia , shinbone, or shankbone is the larger and stronger of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates , and connects the knee with the ankle bones....
and pulls it forward (anterior drawer test) or backward (posterior drawer test). If the tibia pulls forward or backward more than normal, the test is considered positive. Excessive displacement of the tibia anteriorly indicates that the ACL is likely torn, whereas excessive posterior displacement of the tibia indicates that the PCL is likely torn. The Lachman test is a variation on this test in which the knee is in thirty degrees flexion.
See also
- Anterior cruciate ligamentAnterior cruciate ligamentThe anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
- KneeKneeThe knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...
- Lachman test
- Posterior cruciate ligamentPosterior cruciate ligamentThe posterior cruciate ligament is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It connects the posterior intercondylar area of the tibia to the medial condyle of the femur...