Which sign involves dorsiflexion of the foot to elicit calf pain, indicating possible thrombophlebitis?

• A. Morton's test
• B. Tinels sign
• C. Thompson's test
• D. Homan's sign

Answer: (D)

This sign tests for deep vein thrombosis by inducing calf pain with ankle dorsiflexion. When the foot is dorsiflexed, tension along the posterior calf and deep veins can reproduce pain if a thrombus is present, historically making it a clue for thrombophlebitis. However, it’s not reliably accurate—false positives occur with calf muscle strain or swelling, and false negatives can happen as well. Modern evaluation relies more on imaging with duplex ultrasound and D-dimer testing.

Other signs have different targets: Morton's test examines pain from a Morton’s neuroma by squeezing the metatarsal heads; Tinels sign elicits tingling by tapping a nerve; Thompson's test checks for Achilles tendon rupture by squeezing the calf to see if the foot plantarflexes.