Moving Patellar Apprehension Test for Patellar Dislocation Patellar dislocation can have several underlying anatomical factors including but not limited to abnormal bony anatomy of the trochlea and patella, mechanical misalignment of the lower limb as well as static and dynamic deficiency of soft tissue stabilizers. The traditional patellar apprehension test as well as CTs or MRI may fail to detect patients with patellar instability due to its static nature – especially outside of an acute event

The Moving Patellar Apprehension Test | Patellar Instability To conduct the test the patient is in supine lying position with the lower leg hanging over the edge of the bench. The leg is in full extension and the examiner uses the thumb of one hand to translate the patella laterally. Then the leg is moved into 90 degrees of flexion and the examiner notes any signs of apprehension orally expressed by the patient or quadriceps contraction in an attempt to stop flexion and or to dynamically reposit