Craig's Test: How to Measure Femoral Anteversion

Craig's Test is a clinical measurement used by physiotherapists to determine the amount of femoral anteversion (inward twist) or retroversion (outward twist) in the femur. This is crucial for understanding a patient's hip and gait mechanics.

1. Purpose

The primary purpose of Craig's Test (also known as the Trochanteric Prominence Angle Test) is to **measure the degree of femoral anteversion**. Femoral anteversion is the angle of the femoral neck relative to the femoral condyles, which determines how the hip is rotated. Excessive anteversion (inward twist) or retroversion (outward twist) can lead to gait issues (like in-toeing) and other hip or knee problems.

2. How to Perform

1. The patient is positioned in prone (lying on their stomach) with the knee flexed to 90 degrees.
2. The examiner stands at the side of the patient.
3. The examiner palpates the greater trochanter of the test hip with one hand.
4. With the other hand, the examiner holds the patient's ankle/tibia and passively rotates the hip internally and externally.
5. The examiner continues to rotate the hip until the greater trochanter feels most prominent or "parallel" to the examination table.
6. At this point, the examiner stops. Using a goniometer, they measure the angle formed by the tibia and an imaginary line perpendicular to the floor.

3. Positive & Negative Sign

This test is not a simple "positive" or "negative" but is a measurement in degrees of hip internal rotation.

• Normal Finding: The angle of internal rotation is between 8 and 15 degrees.
• Abnormal Finding (Femoral Anteversion): The angle of internal rotation is greater than 15 degrees. This is often associated with "in-toeing" gait.
• Abnormal Finding (Femoral Retroversion): The angle of internal rotation is less than 8 degrees (or the hip is in external rotation). This is often associated with "out-toeing" gait.