The examiner then rotates the leg internally while extending the knee to 90 degrees of flexion.
If a "thud" or "click" is felt along with pain, this constitutes a "positive McMurray test" for a tear in the posterior portion of the lateral meniscus.
Likewise, external rotation of the leg can be applied to test the posterior portion of the medial meniscus.
According to some sources, the sensitivity of the McMurray test for medial meniscus tears is 53% and the specificity is 59%.
In a recent study, clinical test results were compared with arthroscopic and/or arthrotomy findings as reference.