How to Perform a Fulcrum Test of the Hip

The fulcrum test of the hip is a procedure doctors use to check for a stress fracture of the femur, or thighbone. Runners and military trainees commonly experience these stress fractures as a result of over training and muscle weakness. Because X-rays can't reliably detect stress fractures, physical examinations like the fulcrum test are an important tool sports physicians use to diagnose the injury. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

• 1

  Ask the patient to sit on the exam table with his or her knee extended.

• 2

  Slide one of your hands underneath the patient's thigh. Make sure that the palm of your hand is facing up and is touching the patient's leg.

• 3

  Place your other hand on top of the patient's knee. Instead of facing upward, the palm of this hand should face downward.

• 4

  Push down against the patient's knee and up against the back of his or her femur. This places stress on the center of the bone by driving the ends in opposite directions.

• 5

  Ask the patient how much pain the pressure causes. If he or she is in a great deal of pain, the fulcrum test is positive and further examination needs to be done to confirm the presence of a stress fracture.