Spine
Straight leg raise
Lasègue, SLR
- What you examine
- Radicular irritation of the lumbosacral roots.
- Procedure
- Supine, passively raise the straight leg until the complaint appears. Note the angle.
- Positive when
- Recognisable radiating pain in the leg between 30 and 70 degrees, increased by ankle dorsiflexion (Bragard).
- What the test is worth
- Sensitivity around 0.90 and specificity around 0.26: suited to ruling out. The crossed SLR is highly specific instead.
- Caution
- Pain in the back or in the hamstring alone does not count as positive.
- Body region
- Spine