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Ballottable Patella Sign

Indication
1. Evaluation for large knee joint effusion
Technique
1. Patient lies supine on table
2. Examiner forces fluid from suprapatellar pouch
  1. Firmly grasp just above patella with one hand
  2. Forces Joint Fluid between patella and femur
3. Examiner pushes patella downward into femur
  1. Assess for palpable click on patella striking femur
Interpretation: Positive test suggests large effusion
1. Large knee joint effusion: Palpable click present
2. No joint effusion (normal): no click palpated
References
1. Bates (1991) Physical Exam, Lippincott

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This page was written by Scott Moses, MD. This page was last revised before 5/10/08, prior to consistent tracking of revision date. This page was last published on 6/1/2008. Please send comments and questions to the editor. Contact information may be found on the page About the Family Practice Notebook. These pages are best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0.

Orthopedics Book

Ankle Disorders

Approach

Cervical Spine Disorders

Cervicobrachial Disorders

Elbow Disorders

Foot Disorders

Hand Disorders

Hip Disorders

Infectious Disease

Knee Disorders

Lumbar Spine Disorders

Miscellaneous

Shoulder Disorders

Thoracic Spine Disorders

Wrist Disorders

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Ballottable Patella Sign

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