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-A positive Lachman’s test suggests that the anterior cruciate ligament may be torn.
How to perform a Lachman’s test.
- Have the patient lie supine and be completely relaxed.
- Make sure that the patient’s hip muscles, quadriceps, and hamstrings are all relaxed.
- Bend the knee to 20-30 degrees.
- Stabilize the femur with one hand and with the other hand, pull the tibia anteriorly and posteriorly against the femur.
- With an intact ACL, as you pull the tibia forward, you will feel a firm end point. With an ACL rupture, the ACL will be lax and there will be no firm end point. With ACL rupture, the tibia can be pulled forward more than normal (Anterior translation).
- Lachman’s test is the best physical exam test for diagnosing an ACL tear.
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