Pain felt in calf muscles when the foot is dorsiflexed with the leg extended at the knee is called as?

Appeared in: PGIMER NO - 2020

Explanation

Homan's sign is defined as pain in the calf muscles when the foot is passively dorsiflexed with the knee extended.
This clinical finding was historically used to screen for Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT).
The underlying theory is that stretching the posterior tibial vein, which may be inflamed due to a thrombus, causes the characteristic pain.

Option A: Kernig's sign is a test for meningeal irritation, not venous thrombosis. It involves flexing the hip and knee and then attempting to extend the knee.
Option B: Spalding's sign is an obstetric sign related to fetal demise. It has no connection to the musculoskeletal or vascular assessment of the leg.
Option D: Goodell's sign is a probable sign of pregnancy, characterized by the softening of the cervix. It is an obstetric finding and is unrelated to leg pain.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Identification of clinical signs in nursing assessment as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Homan's sign is no longer recommended for DVT assessment due to its poor diagnostic value (low sensitivity and specificity) and the potential risk of dislodging a clot.
Nurses should focus on more reliable signs and symptoms of DVT, including unilateral edema, erythema (redness), warmth, and calf tenderness, and use a validated clinical prediction rule like the Wells score.
Patient safety is paramount. Instead of performing Homan's test, a nurse's priority is to report suspected DVT to the provider for prompt diagnostic imaging, such as a venous duplex ultrasound.

How to Approach the Question

First, analyze the question stem to identify the specific clinical action and patient response being described: pain in the calf muscle upon dorsiflexion of the foot.
Recognize this as a factual recall question requiring knowledge of named clinical signs.
Evaluate each option by recalling its definition.
Option A, Kernig's sign, relates to meningitis. Option B, Spalding's sign, relates to fetal death. Option D, Goodell's sign, relates to pregnancy. These can be eliminated as they are unrelated to leg pain from vascular issues.
Option C, Homan's sign, directly matches the description of calf pain on dorsiflexion of the foot, making it the correct answer.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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Practise the full PGIMER NO - 2020

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.