Lachmans Test for cruciate injury of the knee
- 10 years ago
Perth Chiropractor Dr. Sarah Pye discusses the Lachman's Test for detection of rupture of the cruciate ligaments in the knee. The Lachman test is an orthopedic test used for examining the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee for patients where there is a suspicion of a torn ACL. The Lachman test is recognized by most authorities as the most reliable and sensitive clinical test for the determination of anterior cruciate ligament integrity, superior to the anterior drawer test commonly used in the past.[citation needed] To do this, lay the patient supine on an examination table. Put the patient's knee in about 20--30 degrees flexion, also according to Bates' Guide to Physical Examination the leg should be externally rotated.The examiner should place one hand behind the tibia and the other on the patient's thigh. It is important that the examiner's thumb be on the tibial tuberosity. On pulling anteriorly on the tibia, an intact ACL should prevent forward translational movement of the tibia on the femur ("firm endpoint").
Anterior translation of the tibia associated with a soft or a mushy endpoint indicates a positive test. More than about 2 mm of anterior translation compared to the uninvolved knee suggests a torn ACL ("soft endpoint"), as does 10 mm of total anterior translation. An instrument called a "KT-1000" can be used to determine the magnitude of movement in mm.
This test can be done in an on-the-field evaluation in an acute injury setting, or in a clinical setting when a patient presents with knee pain. In either situation, ruling out fracture is important in the evaluation process. Also when evaluating the integrity of the ACL, it is important to test the integrity of the MCL, because this is a common ligament torn in an ACL injury as well. This test is named after orthopaedic surgeon, John Lachman, the late Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. The original publication describing the test was submitted by one of his colleagues, Joseph Torg.
http://www.westcoastfamilychiropractic.com/
http://wellnessadvantage.isagenix.com/
http://www.westcoastfamilychiropractic.com/
http://wellnessadvantage.isagenix.com/
Anterior translation of the tibia associated with a soft or a mushy endpoint indicates a positive test. More than about 2 mm of anterior translation compared to the uninvolved knee suggests a torn ACL ("soft endpoint"), as does 10 mm of total anterior translation. An instrument called a "KT-1000" can be used to determine the magnitude of movement in mm.
This test can be done in an on-the-field evaluation in an acute injury setting, or in a clinical setting when a patient presents with knee pain. In either situation, ruling out fracture is important in the evaluation process. Also when evaluating the integrity of the ACL, it is important to test the integrity of the MCL, because this is a common ligament torn in an ACL injury as well. This test is named after orthopaedic surgeon, John Lachman, the late Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. The original publication describing the test was submitted by one of his colleagues, Joseph Torg.
http://www.westcoastfamilychiropractic.com/
http://wellnessadvantage.isagenix.com/
http://www.westcoastfamilychiropractic.com/
http://wellnessadvantage.isagenix.com/