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Carnett's Sign
Aka: Carnett's Sign, Carnett Sign
- Indication
- Acute Abdominal Pain Evaluation
- Chronic Abdominal Pain Evaluation
- Chronic Pelvic Pain evaluation
- Technique
- Patient lies supine
- Clinician identifies maximal point of abdominal tenderness
- Patient tenses abdominal wall
- Patient crosses their arms over the chest
- Lifts head off table
- Lifts Shoulders off table
- May also lift both legs off table simultaneously
- Interpretation
- Intra-Abdominal Pain source (Negative Carnett's Sign)
- Abdominal Pain decreases with tensing Abdomen or when examiner palpates Abdomen
- Suggests deeper, visceral pain
- Abdominal Muscle Wall Pain (Positive Carnett's Sign)
- Pain increases or remains unchanged with tensing Abdomen or when examiner palpates Abdomen
- Suggests Myofascial Pain source (Trigger Point, nerve entrapment, Hernia, Myositis)
- References
- Thomson (1977) Lancet 2(8047):1053-4 [PubMed]