Anterior Drawer Test of the Ankle

Execution:

  1. Patient is in supine-lying position with the knee slightly flexed to relax the gastrocnemius and the ankle to be tested hanging over the edge of the bed
  2. The examiner grabs the distal tibia close to the joint line from anteriorly and fixates it on the table with the contralateral hand
  3. The examiner then positions the talocrural joint in 10° of plantar flexion and performs an anterior translation of the talus by pulling on the calcaneus with the ipsilateral hand

 

Positive Outcome: Increased anterior translation compared to the other side

Study Reliability Sn Sp LR+

LR-
Croy et al. (2013): ≥2.3mm displacement

NA

 74 38 1.2

0.66
Croy et al. (2013): ≥3.7mm displacement

NA

 83 40 1.4

0.41