Physical Therapy Haven

Anterior Drawer Test

To test for one-plane anterior instability

“The patient’s knee is flexed to 90 degrees, and the hip is flexed to 45 degrees. In this position, the anterior cruciate ligament is almost parallel with the tibial plateau. The patient’s foot is held on the table by the examiner’s body with the examiner sitting on the patient’s forefoot and the foot in neutral rotation. The examiner’s hands are placed around the tibia to ensure that the hamstring muscles are relaxed. The tibia is then drawn forward on the femur. The normal amount of movement that should be present is approximately 6mm. If the test is positive (i.e., the tibia moves forward more than 6 mm on the femur), the following structure may have been injured to some degree: ACL, Posterolateral capsule, Posteromedial capsule,Medial collateral ligament (deep fibers),

Iliotibial band, Posterior oblique ligament,

Arcuate-popliteus complex”[1]

 

Sensitivity

41%[2]

Specificity

95%²

+ 8.20²

-0.62²