Patient Position
- Supine (or seated)
Procedure Steps
Supine testing
- Drop the leg off the table and flex the knee to 30°.
- Put fingers over the lateral joint line.
- Grab the ankle/foot and apply a varus stress to the knee (using the medial knee against the outside of the table as a fulcrum and pushing the ankle lateral to medial).
- Compare to the opposite, unaffected side.
Seated testing
- Grasp the lateral ankle on the involved side of the body
- Flex the knee to 20-30°
- With the other hand, apply a medial-to-lateral varus force against the medial knee
Positive Sign / Significance
- Significantly increased lateral joint space gapping = Lateral collateral ligament injury (grade 3 complete tear)
- Pain over the lateral knee = Lateral collateral ligament sprain
