FABER test (Patrick's test)

System: Muscles, Bones & Joints Signs · All muscles, bones & joints signs

What it is — and how it is elicited

The heel is placed on the opposite knee (Flexion, ABduction, External Rotation) and the knee allowed to fall outward; groin pain points to the hip, buttock pain to the sacroiliac joint.

What a positive finding suggests

Associated with hip joint disease when groin pain is produced, and sacroiliac joint dysfunction when buttock pain is produced.

◈ Behind the name

Hugh Talbot Patrick (1860–1939), American neurologist; the position is also called figure-of-four.

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Please note: This page is an educational reference about clinical examination signs. A clinical sign supports — and never replaces — a full clinical evaluation, examination and appropriate testing. A sign being present does not by itself prove a diagnosis, and an absent sign does not rule one out. If you have symptoms that worry you, see a health professional.