Trendelenburg Test
Overview
How to Perform
- Support the patient by holding onto their hands, and then ask them to lift one leg off the ground.
Abnormal If
- The hip on the non-weightbearing side falls, as the patient is unable to elevate their hip
Significance
- Suggests hip abductor (gluteus medius / minimus) weakness, most commonly due to proximal myopathy.
The Trendelenburg test was first identified in 1895 by orthopaedic surgeon Friedrich Trendelenburg, and although the test has since been modified, no better test for abductor weakness has been identified.
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