Heel Thrust Test | Posterior Ankle Impingement Assessment

Posterior ankle impingement is assumed to be a consequence of plantarflexion dominant ankle inversion trauma. Pain on the posterior aspect of the ankle persists while the anterolateral pain typically felt after an ankle sprain subsides.

Laslett (1988) first described the heel thrust test for the condition. As of now, it has not been subject to reliability or validity studies so the clinical value is unknown.

To conduct the test, the patient lies in supine position with the ankle hanging over the edge of the bench. The patient is asked to relax the foot as much as possible. the examiner places the base of the palm over the heel with one hand while stabilizing the tibia with the other hand. Then a horizontal thrust is applied to the heel.

The test is positive if posterior ankle pain is reproduced.

Other interesting wiki entries to help your diagnosis of ankle impingement are:

• Signs & Symptoms of Anterior Ankle Impingement
• Forced Dorsiflexion Sign (Anterior Impingement)

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