Ankle and foot
Anterior drawer test of the ankle
- What you examine
- Injury of the anterior talofibular ligament.
- Procedure
- Ankle in 10 to 15 degrees of plantar flexion. Fix the lower leg and pull the calcaneus forward.
- Positive when
- Increased translation with a soft end feel, sometimes with a dimple in front of the lateral malleolus.
- What the test is worth
- More reliable from four to five days after the trauma, once the swelling and muscle guarding have settled.
- Caution
- Apply the Ottawa ankle rules first: ruling out a fracture comes first.
- Body region
- Ankle and foot