Test library › Foot, ankle & calf
Windlass test
For: Plantar fasciitis
Pain where the plantar fascia, the thick band under the sole, attaches to the heel. Typically worst with the first steps in the morning.
Rule-in strength not calculable (no false positives seen)LR− calculated from the published sensitivity and specificity.
Caution: One small study: no false positives, but it missed most cases.
What the numbers mean
- Positive result: no false positives were seen in the study, so no likelihood ratio can be calculated. How far to trust that depends on how many people without the condition were studied.
- Negative result: barely informative: a negative result changes little.
Source
De Garceau D, Dean D, Requejo SM, Thordarson DB. The association between diagnosis of plantar fasciitis and windlass test results. Foot Ankle Int. 2003;24(3):251–255. PubMed · single study
Figures as they will appear in Rule It In, Rule It Out (Trokos, forthcoming). If a newer or better study changes them, this page changes with the book. Figures last updated from the book on 2 October 2026.
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