Beevor's sign

What it means

Weakness of the inferior portion of the rectus abdominal muscle, which is ascertained clinically as follows. When a patient sits up or raises the head from a recumbent position, the umbilicus is displaced toward the head. This is the result of paralysis of the inferior portion of the rectus abdominal muscle, so that the upper fibers predominate pulling upwards the umbilicus.

Beevor's sign is said to be characteristic of a spinal cord lesion at the T10 level, but is also described inter alia in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.

Rare diseases that can present with this1

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category