The Anterior Drawer Test assesses which ligament?

The Anterior Drawer Test assesses which ligament?

• A. ACL.
• B. MCL.
• C. PCL.
• D. Deltoid ligament.

Answer: (A)

The Anterior Drawer Test evaluates the ACL’s ability to prevent forward movement of the tibia relative to the femur. When you perform the test, the knee is flexed around 90 degrees and you gently pull the tibia forward. If the ACL is intact, the tibia doesn’t translate much and the end feel is firm. If the ACL is torn or lax, the tibia translates forward more easily and may have a soft or absent endpoint, giving a positive test. This makes the ACL the key structure being assessed, because it is the primary restraint to anterior tibial translation. The other ligaments listed resist different stresses: the MCL stabilizes against valgus stress on the knee, the PCL prevents posterior tibial movement, and the deltoid ligament is part of the ankle. Therefore, none of those would produce the classic excessive anterior tibial movement seen with an ACL injury.

The Anterior Drawer Test evaluates the ACL’s ability to prevent forward movement of the tibia relative to the femur. When you perform the test, the knee is flexed around 90 degrees and you gently pull the tibia forward. If the ACL is intact, the tibia doesn’t translate much and the end feel is firm. If the ACL is torn or lax, the tibia translates forward more easily and may have a soft or absent endpoint, giving a positive test.

This makes the ACL the key structure being assessed, because it is the primary restraint to anterior tibial translation. The other ligaments listed resist different stresses: the MCL stabilizes against valgus stress on the knee, the PCL prevents posterior tibial movement, and the deltoid ligament is part of the ankle. Therefore, none of those would produce the classic excessive anterior tibial movement seen with an ACL injury.