• Useful for identifying small effusions
• Milk fluid from the medial fossa into the suprapatellar pouch by gently sweeping upward along the medial aspect of the joint
• Then, run your hand lightly from the suprapatellar pouch along the lateral aspect of the joint, keeping below the level of the patella
• Look for a “bulge” of the fluid returning from the suprapatellar pouch in the medial fossa
• A bulge suggests effusion. No bulge could indicate no effusion or a very large effusion.
• Knee Bulge Video