Dorsiflexion of the ankle

Name of test

Dorsiflexion of the ankle

What it tests

Tibialis anterior muscle, L4 and deep peroneal nerve.

How to do it

Ask patient to dorsiflex the ankle (black arrow) while placing your hand on the forefoot, pressing down to create resistance (red line)

The normal response

Painless and powerful motion

What it means if not normal

The inability to actively dorsiflex is a classic “drop foot”.

Common peroneal nerve injury is more likely than primary muscle/tendon pathology

Comments

Citations

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