McCarthy Test

What is the "McCarthy Test" used for?

• Acetabular labral tears and intra-articular hip pathology

How to perform the "McCarthy Test"?

• The patient lies supine on the examination table with both hips fully flexed. This position places the femoral head anteriorly and tensions the acetabular labrum.
• The examiner begins with the unaffected (“good”) hip.
• Keeping the opposite hip fully flexed, the examiner extends the test hip from the flexed position. Extension is performed twice:
  • First with the hip in lateral rotation,
  • Then with the hip in medial rotation.
• After assessing the good hip, the maneuver is repeated on the affected side using the same sequence:
• Hip flexion → extension in lateral rotation → extension in medial rotation.
• This pattern simulates the arc of movement that occurs during normal gait.

What is the positive result?

The McCarthy test is considered positive when the maneuver reproduces:

• The patient’s characteristic pain (especially groin pain), and/or
• A palpable or audible “pop” during hip extension.

A positive result suggests:

• Possible labral tear
• Intra-articular mechanical dysfunction
• Impingement phenomena within the hip joint.