Game-Changing Knee Assessment You Can Apply Today

The primary goal of chiropractic physicians is to diagnose. Some of the most notable diagnoses in the knee involve the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Ruling out an ACL tear (acute or chronic) is essential before initiating treatment and rehab. Fortunately, there is a simple and reliable new test to help us identify ACL ruptures.

“The Lever sign (aka Lelli test) is a new orthopedic examination tool to diagnose anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. Preliminary results suggest almost 100% sensitivity and specificity to diagnose acute and chronic complete ACL tears and clinically significant partial tears as compared with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).” (1)

Watch this quick tutorial and review 3 steps for sharpening your knee “best practices”.

1. How Do You Perform the Lever Sign?

With the patient in a supine position, the injured knee in full extension, and the heel resting on the examination table, the clinician places a closed fist under the proximal third of the calf at the level of the tibial tubercle to act as a fulcrum.  With the other hand, the clinician pushes in an anterior-to-posterior direction on the distal third of the quadriceps muscle. If the ACL is intact, it will counteract the downward gravitational force on the foot, and the heel will rise off the examination table. If the ACL is not intact, it cannot counteract the gravitational force, and the heel will stay on the examination table as the tibia slides anteriorly on the femur. (2)

How Does the Diagnostic Accuracy Compare to Other Assessments?

Historically, the three most common tests to investigate ACL integrity are the Anterior Drawer, Lachman, and Pivot-Shift Test.

Lelli et al (2016) compared the Lever Sign to actual MRI results for a suspected ACL injury. The Lever Sign had a sensitivity and specificity of nearly 100% in patients with acute or partial tears.  The Lachman, Anterior Drawer, and Pivot-Shift Tests had sensitivities of 42%, 29%, and 11%, respectively. (2) A subsequent evaluation of diagnostic utility for the Lever Sign demonstrated high, but not perfect accuracy with 63% sensitivity and  90% specificity. (1)

3. How Do You Incorporate the Lever Sign in Practice?

To deliver the best care, you must have easy access to the best information. Rest assured that your ChiroUp team will continue to find new ways to make your job easier.

The Lever Sign video has been recorded and is available for your review in the ChiroUp Orthopedic Examinations section of the Sharpen My Clinical Skills tab. The Lever Sign is also listed on your updated ChiroUp knee exam form.

*ChiroUp would like to extend a special thank you to fellow subscriber Mike Krasnov for introducing us to this valuable information. Mike is a rock-star clinician who makes our profession stronger.

Our mission at ChiroUp is to make all chiropractors “rock star” clinicians by delivering resources to improve clinical outcomes with evidence-based protocols and increase patient compliance and satisfaction with customizable treatment plans. If that sounds like something you want to be a part of, you know what to do. Start your free trial today!

• References

  1. Jarbo KA, Hartigan DE, Scott KL, Patel KA and Chhabra A. Accuracy of the Lever Sign Test in the Diagnosis of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries. The Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 5(10), 2017.

  2. Lelli A, Di Turi RP, Spenciner DB, Domini M. The “lever sign”: a new clinical test for the diagnosis of anterior cruciate ligament rupture. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2016;24(9):2794-2797.