What Is the Straight Leg Raise?

Basic Information

Chinese name

Straight leg lift test

Clinical significance

Can reflect the severity of sciatica

Test method for straight leg raising test

1. The patient was lying on his back during the examination. The examiner held the patient's ankle with one hand and placed the other hand above the knee joint to keep the knee joint straight and raised to a certain angle. The patient felt radiation pain or numbness in the lower limbs or the Positive when pain or numbness worsens. To record the elevation, the left and right sides must be noted. Normal people have their lower limbs straight in the supine position. The passive elevation is 60 ° 120 °. When the lower limbs are raised to 30 ° 70 °, the nerve root can be stretched 2 to 5 mm in the intervertebral foramen. Pain, so raising above 70 ° is normal.

2. When performing a straight leg lift test, pay attention to the contrast on both sides, test the healthy side first, and pay attention to its maximum range of motion to facilitate comparison with the affected side. Positive straight leg elevation tests are more common in lumbar disc herniation, intraspinal lesions, and piriformis syndrome. Hold the patient's five toes in his right hand, flex his back as much as possible, raise the affected limb so that the sciatic nerve is suddenly pulled, and radiation pain or numbness in the lower limbs or the original pain or numbness is positive. Those without pain were negative.

3. Another test method is to allow the patient to elevate the leg straight in the supine position until the radioactive pain or numbness of the lower limbs or the original pain or numbness increase, and record the elevation angle and position. The positive judgment is as before.

Clinical significance of straight leg elevation test

1. Straight legs are raised near 20 °, and there is usually no reflex pain. Most of them are drag pains on the back of the thighs. This is due to the reflex tension spasms of the hamstring muscles, which are usually bilateral and affected. Heavier.

2. The pain of straight leg elevation occurs before 30 ° 40 °. It is clinically said to be strongly positive, and most of them are radiation pain. At this angle, the nerve root is not significantly displaced by displacement. The radiation pain is more severe than that around the nerve root. Mechanical compression is associated with edema.

3. Pain occurs when the straight leg is raised by 60 °, and it becomes clinically positive. At this time, the nerve root is involved. If the pain starts from the lumbosacral radiation, it indicates that the nerve root is compressed; if the radiation pain starts from the buttocks, Signs of pain arc, piriformis injury must be ruled out. Piriformis tension test can be done to confirm.

4. Straight leg elevation test shows pain above 60 °, which is clinically weakly positive. If the radiation pain starts from the lumbosacral region, it indicates that the nerve root is slightly damaged; if the pain starts from the sacroiliac joint pain, it indicates Joint lesions; if the pain is confined to the periphery of the hip joint, it indicates hip joint disease; if the leg is raised to the maximum, and lumbosacral pain is painful, it may indicate that there is a lumbosacral joint disease.