Current Section
Spurling's Test
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Name
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Purpose1,2
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Description1,2,3
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Sensitivity, Specificity
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Reliability
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Likelihood Ratio +/-
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Spurling’s Test
aka Foraminal Compression Test
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A positive test of pain radiating into the upper extremity towards the same side that the head is laterally flexed would indicate pressure on the nerve root.
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The patient should be seated with their neck side bent/rotated towards the ipsilateral side. The examiner should then carefully provide a compression force straight through the head to determine if symptoms are provoked. Repeat on the opposite side. This test could be performed with 3 different steps involving the head in neutral, extension, or extension with rotation
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Sensitivity=
.304-.935
Specificity=
.746-.955
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Inter-examiner
K=
.287-.778
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LR+ =
1.96-18.65
LR- =
.075-.754
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1. Konin JG, Wiksten DL, Isear Jr. JA, Brader H. Special Tests for Orthopedic Examination. 3rd ed. Thorofare, NJ: SLACK incorporated; 2006.
2. Magee DJ. Orthopedic Physical Assessment. 5th ed. St. Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier; 2008.
3. Cleland JA, Koppenhaver S. Netter’s Orthopaedic Clinical Examination: An evidence-based approach. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders Elsevier; 2011.
4. Tong HC, Haig AJ, Yamakawa K. The Spurling test and cervical radiculopathy. Spine. 2002; 27: 156-159.
5. Shah KC, Rajshekhar V. Reliability of diagnosis of soft cervical disc prolapse using Spurling’s test. Br J Neuro-surg. 2004; 18: 480-483.
6. Wainner RS, Fritz JM, Irrgang JJ Boninger ML, Delitto A, Allison S. Reliability and diagnostic accuracy of the clinical examination and patient self-report measures for cervical radiculopathy. Spine. 2003; 28:52-62.
7. Bertilson BC, Grunnesjo M, Strender LE. Reliability of clinical tests in the assessment of patients with neck/shoulder problems-impact of history. Spine. 2003;28: 2222-2231.
8. Viikari-Juntura E. Interexaminer reliability of observations in physical examinations of the neck. Phys Ther. 1987;67:1526-1532.
