Lachman Test

Original Editor - Rachael Lowe

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Purpose
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The Lachman's test is a passive accessory movement test of the knee which is performed to identify the integrity of the anterior cruciate ligament or ACL. The test is designed to assess single sagittal plane instability.

Technique
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Lay the patient supine on a bed. 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.

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[2]

Evidence[edit | edit source]

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Recent Related Research (from Pubmed)[edit | edit source]

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References[edit | edit source]

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  1. Scott Holmes and Eric Sorenson, Lachmans Test, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHytLhg-1vM, online video, last accessed 30 November 2009
  2. Ithaca College, Lachman Test, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5WyoDY31Fc, online video, last accessed 30 November 2009