Kanavel's sign is a
clinical sign found in patients with infection of a flexor
tendon sheath in the
hand (flexor tenosynovitis), a serious condition which can cause rapid loss of function of the affected finger.
The sign consists of four components:
# the affected finger is held in slight
flexion
Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminology used describes this motion according to its direction relativ ...
.
# there is fusiform
swelling over the affected
tendon
A tendon or sinew is a tough, high-tensile-strength band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. It is able to transmit the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system without sacrificing its ability ...
.
# there is
tenderness over the affected tendon.
# there is pain on passive
extension of the affected finger.
The sign is named after
Allen B. Kanavel who first named them in 1912.
References
Medical signs
{{med-sign-stub