A 38-year-old recreational badminton player feels a sudden snap in his left heel while lunging. He reports it felt like being kicked. He can still plantarflex weakly. Which clinical test best confirms the suspected injury?

• A Anterior drawer test
• B Silfverskiold test
• C Squeeze test of the leg
• D Thompson (Simmonds) test ✓

Explanation

Rupture of the Achilles tendon is confirmed by the Thompson test: squeezing the calf in the prone position produces no plantarflexion of the foot when the tendon is torn. Weak plantarflexion persists through the long toe flexors, so preserved movement does not exclude rupture. The squeeze test assesses syndesmotic injury and the Silfverskiold test assesses gastrocnemius tightness.

Reference: Bailey and Love's Short Practice of Surgery, 28th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.