Foot, ankle & calf: examination tests with their numbers
14 tests from the book, each with the published accuracy figures that exist for it, and what a positive and a negative result mean.
- Ankle impingement test (palpation + forced dorsiflexion/plantarflexion)LR+ 7.92 · LR− 0.06 · Useful in both directions
- Anterior drawer test (ankle)LR+ 3.97 · LR− 0.54 · A weak test on its own
- Dorsiflexion-eversion test (tarsal tunnel)LR+ not calculable (specificity 100%) · LR− 0.18 · Treat with caution
- Dorsiflexion-external rotation test (Kleiger's)LR+ 1.93 · LR− 0.46 · A weak test on its own
- Matles testLR+ 5.87 · LR− 0.14 · Useful in both directions
- Modified web-space tenderness test (thumb-pad palpation)LR+ not calculable (specificity 100%) · LR− 0.04 · Treat with caution
- Palpable Achilles tendon gap/defectLR+ 6.64 · LR− 0.3 · Best used to rule in
- Probe-to-bone test (diabetic foot ulcer)LR+ not given · LR− not given · Likelihood ratios not published
- Royal London Hospital testLR+ 3.84 · LR− 0.54 · A weak test on its own
- Squeeze test (syndesmosis)LR+ 2.15 · LR− 0.84 · A weak test on its own
- Syndesmosis ligament tenderness (palpation)LR+ 1.3 · LR− 0.28 · A weak test on its own
- Thompson (Simmonds) testLR+ 13.71 · LR− 0.04 · Useful in both directions
- Unable to perform single-leg hopLR+ 1.25 · LR− 0.37 · A weak test on its own
- Windlass testLR+ not calculable (specificity 100%) · LR− 0.68 · Rule-in strength not calculable (no false positives seen)
Get the book for spotting a high ankle sprain, and knowing when the Achilles is torn
These pages give the published figures. Rule It In, Rule It Out adds, for every test with published figures in the chapter ‘The ankle and foot’: how to do it, what counts as positive, how to read the result, and, where studied, whether combining tests helps.
Coming in late 2026 as a PDF and a paperback. Join the list to hear when it's out
One study, one test, once a month
Rule It In is a free evidence letter for musculoskeletal clinicians: one recent study explained, one examination test with its real numbers. From Trokos, publisher of Rule It In, Rule It Out.