FABER test interpretation: groin pain during the test suggests what?

FABER test interpretation: groin pain during the test suggests what?

• A. Iliopsoas spasm.
• B. Intra-articular hip pathology.
• C. Lumbar pathology.
• D. Knee pathology.

Answer: (B)

The FABER test is meant to stress the hip joint by placing the leg in flexion, abduction, and external rotation. If pain is felt in the groin during this maneuver, it most strongly points to intra-articular hip pathology. The hip joint structures—the labrum, cartilage, and joint capsule—are being loaded in this position, so groin pain indicates the joint itself is likely involved (for example, labral tear, osteoarthritis, or femoroacetabular impingement). Pain focused in the buttock or sacroiliac region would suggest SI joint pathology, while knee pathology wouldn’t typically reproduce groin pain with this hip-focused test.

The FABER test is meant to stress the hip joint by placing the leg in flexion, abduction, and external rotation. If pain is felt in the groin during this maneuver, it most strongly points to intra-articular hip pathology. The hip joint structures—the labrum, cartilage, and joint capsule—are being loaded in this position, so groin pain indicates the joint itself is likely involved (for example, labral tear, osteoarthritis, or femoroacetabular impingement). Pain focused in the buttock or sacroiliac region would suggest SI joint pathology, while knee pathology wouldn’t typically reproduce groin pain with this hip-focused test.