Ankle and foot
Ankle fluctuation test
- What you examine
- Fluid in the talocrural joint.
- Procedure
- With thumb and index finger on either side of the Achilles tendon, push the fluid anteriorly and feel with the other hand whether the hollows in front of the malleoli fill.
- Positive when
- A palpable wave making the anterior hollows bulge.
- What the test is worth
- No figures available. The value lies in distinguishing swelling inside the joint from swelling of the surrounding soft tissue.
- Caution
- Diffuse swelling around the lateral malleolus after a sprain is usually not an effusion but a soft tissue haematoma.
- Body region
- Ankle and foot