Which statement describes the Thessaly test protocol?

Which statement describes the Thessaly test protocol?

• A. Patient stands on one leg with knee flexed 20 degrees and rotates trunk left and right.
• B. Patient lies prone with knee flexed to 90 degrees while rotating the tibia.
• C. Patient sits and extends the knee against resistance.
• D. Patient stands on both legs with knee extended and twists hips.

Answer: (A)

The Thessaly test challenges the menisci by loading the knee in a functional, weight-bearing position. Standing on one leg with the knee flexed to about 20 degrees places the menisci under compression as you bear weight. Then rotating the body (and thus the tibia) while maintaining that knee bend twists the menisci inside the joint, which can reproduce pain, catching, or locking if there is a meniscal tear. This combination of axial load, single-leg stance, knee flexion, and rotational movement is what makes this maneuver specific for meniscal pathology. The other described maneuvers don’t capture this same loading pattern: a prone knee test with tibial rotation is a different orientation and loading approach, knee extension against resistance focuses on the extensor mechanism, and standing with both legs while twisting the hips doesn’t place the same directed load on the menisci.

The Thessaly test challenges the menisci by loading the knee in a functional, weight-bearing position. Standing on one leg with the knee flexed to about 20 degrees places the menisci under compression as you bear weight. Then rotating the body (and thus the tibia) while maintaining that knee bend twists the menisci inside the joint, which can reproduce pain, catching, or locking if there is a meniscal tear. This combination of axial load, single-leg stance, knee flexion, and rotational movement is what makes this maneuver specific for meniscal pathology.

The other described maneuvers don’t capture this same loading pattern: a prone knee test with tibial rotation is a different orientation and loading approach, knee extension against resistance focuses on the extensor mechanism, and standing with both legs while twisting the hips doesn’t place the same directed load on the menisci.