Apley’s Distraction Test

Testing for:
The Integrity of the Collateral Knee Ligaments

Procedure:

• Patient is prone, with their affected knee flexed 90°
• Therapist places their own knee on patient’s posterior thigh to stabilize
• Therapist grasps patient’s leg proximal to the ankle
• Therapist applies traction to the tibia towards the ceiling (this distracts the knee joint) –then apply internal and external rotation of the tibia while tractioning

Positive Sign:
Pain on the medial side = medial collateral ligament damage/ injury
Pain on the lateral side = lateral collateral ligament damage/ injury