Hoovers Sign
Other Names
- Hoover's Sign
- Hoover Sign
- Hoover Test
- Hoover’s test
- Hoover maneuver
- Hoover sign test
- Contralateral heel pressure test
Purpose
- To distinguish between psychogenic and organic causes of leg weakness
Description
- The patient is supine with the examiner is at the foot of the bed
- The examiner places hands under both of the patients heels
- They then ask the patient to lift one leg off the bed, and then bring it back down and test the other leg
- The examiner should feel a posterior, involuntary force behind the contralateral heel
- Positive sign is pressure behind the affected heel when the contralateral heel is tested
- In other words, organic weakness will have no compensatory force while psychogenic weakness will
Modification
- The test can be performed with the patient in the seated position
- Examiner places one hand below the knee
- They asked the patient to raise the contralateral leg against resistance
- Switch positions, comparing both sides
Pathology
- Distinguish organic from psychogenic leg paresis
Evidence
- Unknown
See Also
References
- ↑ Stone, Jon, Adam Zeman, and Michael Sharpe. "Functional weakness and sensory disturbance." Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry 73.3 (2002): 241-245.
- ↑ Gardiner, Paula, et al. "Occupational therapy for functional neurological disorders: a scoping review and agenda for research." CNS spectrums 23.3 (2018): 205-212.
Created by:
John Kiel on 27 July 2019 21:31:38
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Last edited:
14 December 2025 01:53:37
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