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Thompson test
System: Muscles, Bones & Joints Signs · All muscles, bones & joints signs
What it is — and how it is elicited
With the patient kneeling or face down, squeezing the calf normally makes the foot point; absence of this movement is a positive test.
What a positive finding suggests
Associated with rupture of the Achilles tendon.
◈ Behind the name
Theodore Campbell Thompson, American orthopaedic surgeon, who described it in 1962 (also called the Simmonds–Thompson test).
Related signs — Muscles, Bones & Joints Signs
Browse the T section of the A–Z list or return to the Clinical Signs hub.
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.