Summary

What it measures:

Amount of anterior tibial translation with respect to the femur; used to detect ACL tears

Target Population:

People with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury

According to the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC 2000), the anterior drawer test is rated as:

• Normal (0-2 mm)
• Nearly normal (3-5 mm)
• Abnormal (6-10 mm)
• Severely abnormal (>10 mm)

These findings are based on the amount of greater tibial translation on the injured side compared with the uninjured contralateral knee. Increased anterior tibial displacement in side-to-side comparison is indicative of an ACL tear.

Normative/Reference Data

Ceiling and Floor Effects
None