Hoover’s sign is a sign of functional weakness: or is it more?

Hoover's sign has long been used to support a clinical diagnosis of functional weakness. However, it also occurs in people with pain, other functional disorders and functional neurological disorder without weakness. Some of its clinical characteristics, such as being more prominent with visual attention, suggest it might be reframed as a sign of agency. The experience, reflections and awareness of people with an abnormal Hoover's sign can be seen in this context. Reframing Hoover's sign by linking it to agency, and extending it to other clinical scenarios, could help clinicians and, most importantly, patients.A recently discovered clinical technique of inducing it briefly in healthy people with pressure on the patella or tonic vibration is discussed. This illustrates the importance of sensory processing (especially sensory attenuation and proprioception) and learning/habituation to stimuli, which is known to be altered in functional neurological disorder and other functional disorders.Reframing Hoover's sign by linking it to agency and extending it to other clinical scenarios could help clinicians, neuroscience and, most importantly, patients.