Trendelenburg Test |
Examination type |
Muscle weakness |
Patient & Body Segment Positioning |
Patient standing |
Examiner Position |
While standing behind the patient, the examiner’s hands are
resting on the top of each iliac crest |
Tissues
Being Tested |
Gluteus Medius and Hip Joint |
Performing the Test |
The patient is asked to stand unassisted on each leg in turn.
The foot on the contra lateral side is elevated from the floor
by bending at the knee.
An
alternative approach is to have the patient undertake this
maneuver facing the examiner and supported only by the index
fingers of the outstretched hands; this accentuates any
instability of balance shown during a positive test. |
Positive Test |
The pelvis will sag downwards and to the opposite side |
Interpretation |
The hip abductors are weak; the hip is dislocated; the head of
femur has been excised; subluxation or dislocation of the hip;
coxa vara; greater trochanter fractures; slipped upper femoral
epiphysis; polio; root lesion; post-operative nerve damage;
muscle-wasting disease |
Common errors in
performing exam |
Having the patient stand on a step or other object; observing
the patient from the front instead of the back |
Factors possibly
resulting in misinterpretation |
If
side of the pelvis naturally sits higher than the other, due to
limb length discrepancy. |
Related tests |
Trendelenburg Gait; Sign of the Buttock Test; Single-leg Squat
Test |
References |
Special Test for Orthopedic Examination. 2nd
Ed. Pp. 200-202.
Athletic Injury Assessment. 4th
Ed. Pp.379
Physical Examination of the Spine and
Extremities. 1st Ed. Pp. 164
Orthopedic Physical Assessment. 4th
Ed. Pp.491, 592.
Marshall. “The Hip #2.” Patient Care. Vol. 13. Iss. 1.
Pp. S1. January 2002. |
Links: |
http://www.qmseminars.co.nz/PDF/CampbellEponym.pdf
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~anatomy/hip/hip%20clin%20correl/corr6.html
http://www.worldortho.com/database/exam-orth/eo148.html
http://www.gpnotebook.co.uk/cache/1798635535.htm |
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