Cotton Test
Other Names
- Cotton's Test
- Cotton Test
- Lateral translation test
Purpose
- Evaluate the integrity of the distal Tibiofibular Syndesmosis as a cause of ankle pain
- First described by orthopedic surgeon Frederic Cotton in 1910 to diagnose Pott's fractures[2]
Description
- The patient is seated
- The examiner grasps the distal tibofibular articulation, stabilizing it
- The examiner attempts to translate the talus from side-to-side with the ankle in a neutral position
- Positive finding
- Increased translation as compared with the contralateral side accompanied by pain
Pathology
Evidence
- Vivtcharenko et al in the Coronal plane[3]
- Sensitivity: 73%
- Specificity 100%
- Diagnostic Accuracy 86.7%
- Grobterlinden Et al[4]
- Sensitivity: 30.6%
- Specificity: 67.8%
- PPV: 35.5%
- NPV: 61.5%
See Also
References
- ↑ de-las-Heras Romero, Jorge, et al. "Management of syndesmotic injuries of the ankle." EFORT open reviews 2.9 (2017): 403-409.
- ↑ Larkins, Lindsay W., Russell T. Baker, and Jayme G. Baker. "Physical examination of the ankle: a review of the original orthopedic special test description and scientific validity of common tests for ankle examination." Archives of Rehabilitation Research and Clinical Translation 2.3 (2020): 100072.
- ↑ Vivtcharenko, Victoria Y., et al. "Comparison between cotton test and tap test for the assessment of coronal syndesmotic instability: a cadaveric study." Injury 52 (2021): S84-S88.
- ↑ Großterlinden, Lars Gerhard, et al. "Isolated syndesmotic injuries in acute ankle sprains: diagnostic significance of clinical examination and MRI." Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy 24.4 (2016): 1180-1186.
Created by:
John Kiel on 12 July 2021 14:24:56
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Last edited:
17 September 2025 18:22:49
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