Kanavel Signs (Flexor Tenosynovitis)
Counts Kanavel's four cardinal signs of pyogenic flexor tenosynovitis in an affected finger.
Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.
Example
- Resting flexed posture of the finger
- Yes
- Fusiform swelling of the whole finger
- Yes
- Tenderness along the flexor tendon sheath
- Yes
- Pain on passive extension
- Yes
Result: All 4 Kanavel signs present: the classic picture of pyogenic flexor tenosynovitis.
The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.
What you enter
- Resting flexed posture of the finger
- Fusiform swelling of the whole finger
- Tenderness along the flexor tendon sheath
- Pain on passive extension
How this is calculated
Citation
Kanavel AB. Infections of the Hand. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger; 1912. Limits of the signs: Gomes M et al. Cureus. 2025;17:e79785; Rao V et al. Hand (N Y). 2023;18:320. Read the sources: Gomes 2025 ↗, Rao 2023 ↗
A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.