Yeoman Test | Sacroiliitis Examination | SIJ assessment

The Yeoman Test is a provocation test for an inflamed sacroiliac joint, in medical terms called sacroiliitis.

Sacroiliitis involves inflammation of one or both SI joints and may be a feature of other spondyloarthropathies such as ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, or arthritis related to for example inflammatory bowel disease or Crohn’s disease.

The diagnosis is made based on history taking, laboratory findings, and subsequent MRI evaluation. One physical test that is proposed for the condition is Yeoman’s test. Due to the fact that physical tests are poorly described for sacroiliitis and no validation has taken place yet the clinical value remains questionable.

To conduct the test, the patient lies in prone position close to the edge of the bench on the unaffected side. The patient’s leg is flexed to around 90° and you’re going to grab onto the distal femur with one hand. The other hand is placed over the ipsilateral posterior superior iliac spine to fixate movement at the pelvis. Then passively move the thigh into extension.

A positive test is indicated by the reproduction of the patient’s SI joint or buttock pain.

Other common orthopedic tests that aim to provoke the sacroiliac joint are:

• Distraction Test
• Sacral Thrust Test
• Gaenslen’s Test
• Sacroiliac Compression Test
• Cluster of Laslett
• Cluster of van der Wurff

21 OF THE MOST USEFUL ORTHOPAEDIC TESTS IN CLINICAL PRACTICE

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Walsh, M. J. (1998). Evaluation of orthopedic testing of the low back for nonspecific lower back pain. Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics, 21(4), 232-236.