Spurling's Test for Cervical Radiculur Syndrome

Spurling’s Test for Cervical Radicular Syndrome / Cervical Radiculopathy
Spurling’s test is a test with a low sensitivity of 50% and a good specificity of 83% to diagnose cervical radicular syndrome according to Wainner et al. (2003). Several authors have shown that this test has a rather low sensitivity and a high specificity. For these reasons, we consider this test of moderate clinical value. However, there are several modifications of the Spurlings, which is why Anekstein has compared six different modifications with each other in their diagnostic study in the year 2011. Spurling’s test is a test designed to provoke the patient’s symptoms, which are usually neck pain with radiating pain or paresthesias down the arm. This is done by reducing the diameter of the intervertebral foramen, which causes symptoms in patients with cervical radicular syndrome.
According to the study results, the Spurling’s test is most provocative with the highest VAS score and most distally elicited pain with your patient’s neck in extension, lateral bending to the affected side, and axial compression.
It is important to elicit distal pain distribution to be able to distinguish between patients with actual radiculopathy and cervical spondylosis.
Other test versions were not able to distinguish between those groups as the pain was mostly experienced proximally in the neck.
However, this maneuver with extensions, lateral bending, and compression was the least tolerable, which is why you should gradually build up this test. So you should always start with just extension and lateral bending and only add axial compression if symptoms are not reproduced.
Other common tests to assess for cervical radiculopathy are:
21 OF THE MOST USEFUL ORTHOPAEDIC TESTS IN CLINICAL PRACTICE

References
BUY THE FULL PHYSIOTUTORS ASSESSMENT BOOK
- 600+ Pages e-Book
- Interactive Content (Direct Video Demonstration, PubMed articles)
- Statistical Values for all Special Tests from the latest research
- Clinical Value Recommendation
- Detailed descriptions & searchable
- Currently on Version 5.0 – Free lifetime updates
- And much more!
ALL ORTHOPEDIC TESTS IN ONE PLACE


What customers have to say about the Assessment E-Book
- Vince199225/04/20
The Assessment E-Book This book helped me in my studying for my exam and in assessing my first patients. Awesome! Also for beginners!
Simon Pagitz06/04/20The Assessment E-Book It’s an amazing Compilation! Congrats to all the work you have put in there. You’ll propably find all the test’s you’ve been looking for with propper explaination and source to doublecheck for you self. definetly a must have for every student, but it will also help an experienced practioner. Im looking forward to the lifelong updates on the topics.
Great work, guys - Jordi Burrut27/10/19
The Assessment E-Book A must-have for all physiotherapists, osteopaths and manual therapists. The authors conducted an extensive research on assessment tests in manual therapy. I find it very easy to read. The more I read the more I learn. Thank you!
Josh07/07/19The Assessment E-Book This book is great! It is very structured and detailed. It works extremely well on my Macbook and iPad.
- Polo_soa15/02/19
The Assessment E-Book The best way to spend 80euros. Totally worth it. The amount of work you put behind this must have been absolutely huge. Every physical or physiotherapist should own it.
Congrats guys you’ve done an incredible job.
I’ve learnd a lot of new things and my approach to therapy in general have totally changed.
In one word: amazing. Keep going guys ! Best wishes from france.