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Anterior/Posterior Drawer Test (Cruciate Ligaments)

  1. Ask the patient to lie supine on the exam table with knees flexed to 90 degrees.
  2. Sit on or otherwise stabilize the foot of the leg being examined.
  3. Grasp the leg just below the knee with both hands and pull forward.
  4. If the tibia moves out from under the femur, the anterior cruciate ligament may be torn.
  5. Without changing the position of your hands, push the leg backward.
  6. If the tibia moves back under the femur, the posterior cruciate ligament may be torn.

Copyright 1996 by the University of Florida