dural sheath, irritated nerve, lumbar, ortho, SLR, special test, straight leg raise

Purpose

Used to determine if the patient has sciatic nerve irritation. This is a neural tension test that puts a tensile stress on the nerve root and dura mater surrounding the nerve root.

Technique

Patient positioned supine.

Clinician stands on the side of the leg being tested.

Clinician dorsiflexes the ankle and raises the leg making sure to keep the knee straight until pain or other symptoms are produced.

Positive

Pain or provocation of paresthesia symptoms in the leg between 30°-70° of hip flexion.

Indication

Positive sciatic nerve root or dura irritation.

References

1. Dutton, M. (2008). Orthopaedic: Examination, evaluation, and intervention (2nd ed.). New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

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