Specialized PE Tests Flashcards
Adson’s Sign
- Loss of radial pulse in arm by rotating head
- Turn head toward symptomatic shoulder while arm, neck and shoulder extended and slightly away from body
- Have pt inhale and check pulse in extended arm
Positive Adson’s Sign
- If decreased HR or symptoms are reproduced, then test is positive
- Positive test can suggest thoracic outlet syndrome
- Lacks specificity and sensitivity
Bowstring’s Sign
Relief of radicular pain that occurs when the knee is flexed during a positive straight leg raise
Cervical Distraction
- Place pt in supine position
* Apply gentle manual distraction
Positive Cervical Distraction
- Reduced neck and limb symptoms
* Helpful to diagnose radiculopathy
Compression Test (for thoracic outlet syndrome)
Exert pressure b/w clavicle and medial humeral head
Positive Compression Test
- Causes radiation of pain +/- numbness
* Can indicate thoracic outlet syndrome
Crossed (contralateral) SLR
Passive eleation of the unaffected leg by the examiner
Positive Crossed SLR
- Lifting the unaffected leg reproduces radicular pain in the affected leg
- Relatively specific test for radiculopathy d/t disc herniation (poor sensitivity)
FABER Test (Patrick’s Test, figure of 4 test, Jansen Test)
- FABER:flexion-abduction-external rotation
- Stress maneuver to detect hip and SI pathology
- Patient is supine
- Hip is externally rotated with the ipsilateral knee flexed at 90 degrees and placed on opposite knee
- Clinician stabilizes the pelvis with a hand on the contralateral anterior superior iliac spine and presses down with the other hand on the thigh of the affected side
Positive FABER Test
- Elicits hip or buttock pain
* If positive, raises suspicion for hip or SI disease. Nonspecific for radiculopathy
Forward Bend Test (Adams forward bend test)
- Observe the pt from the back while he/she bends forward at the waist (until the spine becomes parallel to the horizontal plane, feet together, knees straight ahead and arms hanging free
- Inability to bend forward at the waist with decreased ROM or side bending may be secondary to pain, lumbar muscle spasm and/or tighntness in hamstrings (Non-idiopathic etiology)
Forward Bend Test in a pt with scoliosis
- Most sensitive of the clinical exam findings for scoliosis
- A thoracic (rib) or lumbar prominence one side will be evident
- The vertebral column rotates, making the chest wall on the convex side more prominent
- In structural scoliosis, the rotational prominence is on the same side as the convexity of the curve
Forward Bend Test in length discrepancy
The prominence is on the concave side of the curve
Lasegue’s sign
- Presence of worsening of radicular pain with the straight leg maneuver
- Usually occurs when hip flexion is between 30 and 60 degrees
Lhermitte Sign
*Have pt flex their neck
Positive Lhermitte Sign
- Electric (shock-like) sensations radiating down the spine (sometimes to the extremities)
- Helpful to diagnose radiculopathy
Occiput to Wall Test
- Can be used to quantify severity of hyperkyphosis
- Pt stands agianst a wall and the distance between their occiput and the wall is measured
- Normally pts should be able to touch their occiput to the wall
Rhomberg’s Sign
- Swaying of the body when the feet are placed close together and the eyes are closed
- Can be seen with myelopathy
Reverse Straight Leg Raise
- Traditional way to place the L1-L2 nerve roots under tension
- Place pt prone on table
- Passively extend the hip and leg straight up off table
Positive Reverse Straight Leg Raise
- Reproduces radicular pain over the anterior thigh
- Useful to identify L2-L4 radiculopathy
- Also positive with conditions with inflammation of the iliopsoas (appendicitis)
Roos Stress Test (Elevated Arm Stress Test/EAST)
- Place pt in front sitting position
- Have pt hold both elbows at shoulder ht while pushing shoulder back
- Repeatedly open and close hands for several min
Positive EAST
- Symptoms are present
* Can suggest thoracic outlet syndrome
Seated SLR
- Distract the pt’s attention away from the back by asking if the pt has knee problems
- Lift the foot and extend the knee
Positive Seated SLR
- Useful to evaluate sciatic tension
- If straightening the knee to full extension on both sides does not cause the pt to lean back, no significant sciatic tension is present
Slump Test of Matiland (Meningeal test)
- Progressive test that is performed bilaterally and the pt is questioned regarding symptoms at each step
- As the seated pt to slump in a lumbar and thoracic flexed position
- Ask pt to actively flex the chin to the chest
- Then ask pt to actively extend the knee fully
- Then as the pt to dorsiflex fully
Positive Slump Test
- Can cause impingement on the dura, spinal cord, or nerve roots which can result in radicular symptoms
- If symptoms occur, ask the pt to straighten the neck but keep the knee fully extended and the foot fully dorsiflexed
- Relief of radicular symptoms indicates a positive test (if pain persists=muscle problem not dural)
Spurling’s Test
- Ask the seated pt to rotate and laterally flex the head to the unaffected side first, then to the affected side
- Use one hand to lightly compress downward on the head to axial load the cervical spine
- If tolerated, test is repeated in the rotated and laterally flexed position with cervical extension
Positive Spurling’s Test
- Best test for confirming the diagnosis of cervical radiculopathy
- Pain will radiate into the limb ipsilateral to the side in which the head is rotated
Straight Leg Raise (supine)
- Place pt in supine position
- Raise the pt’s extended leg on the symptomatic side with foot dorsiflexed
- Results in increased dural tension in the lower lumbar and high sacral regions
Positive SLR
*Worsening of radicular pain with the straight leg maneuver (usually occurs at 30-60 degrees of flexion)
Trendelenburg Test
- Stand behind the pt to observe the level of the pelvis as you instruct the pt to stand on one leg
- With normal hip abductor strength, the pelvis will remain level
Positive Trendelenburg Test
- Pelvis drops below the level on the opposite side
* Useful to evaluate hip abductor strength (gluteus medius)
Waddell’s Sign (nonorganic signs)
- If results of >/= 2 of these tests are +, issue other than peripheral nocioception are creating pain behavior
- -Nonorganic tenderness
- -Axial simulation
- -Seated SLR
- -Nondermatomal sensory loss
- -sudden “giving way” or jerky movements with motor examination
- -Observation of pt overreaction or inconsistencies
Nonorganic tenderness
*with the pt standing, lightly touch the tissues over the lumbar spine
*Procedure sould not cause pain
Positive test = marked pain behavior
Axial simulation
*With the pt standing, apply light downward pressure on the pt’s head
*This maneuver should not cause pain
Positive Test = pt grimaces and moves, reporting pain
Wright’s Test
*From sitting position you hold your arm up and back (hyperabduction), rotating it outward, check for decreased pulse or reproduction of symptoms
Positive Wright’s Test
- suggest thoracic outlet syndrome
Tests for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
- Adson’s sign
- Compression test
- Roos Stress Test (EAST)
- Wright’s Test
Tests for Radicular pain
- Crossed SLR
- FABER
- Lhermitte Sign
- Reverse SLR
- Slump Test
- Spurling’s
- SLR
Test that elicits pain in the Hip/Buttock
FABER (hip or SI disease, nonspecific for radiculopathy)
Test for scoliosis
Forward Bend test
Test for Myelopathy
Rhomberg’s sign
Test for Cervical Radiculopathy
Spurlings
Test for Hip Abductor Strength
Trendelenburg test
Test for non-peripheral nocioception creating pain behavior
Waddell’s sign
Compression pressure Test
*Applying sustained manual pressure over the ulnar nerve in the ulnar groove
Positive compression pressure test
*Positive for ulnar neuropathy when they result in paresthesia or pain in ulnar innervated regions of the hand
Elbow flexion test
*Sustained maximal elbow flexion for 1 minute with the wrist in a neutral position
Positive Elbow Flexion Test
Positive for ulnar neuropathy when they result in paresthesia or pain in ulnar innervated regions of the hand
Combined elbow flexion with pressure
*combine elbow flexion and compression test
External Rotation Strength Testing (shoulder)
- External rotation of the shoulder is performed primarily by the infraspinatus
- The pt’s elbow is flexed to 90 degrees and held against the pt’s body by the examiner
- Pt actively rotates the arm externally against the resistance of the examiner’s other hand placed at the wrist
Finkelstein Test
*Full flexion of the thumb into the palm followed by ulnar deviation of the wrist