In the cross straight leg raise test, pain on the affected side indicates which condition?

In the cross straight leg raise test, pain on the affected side indicates which condition?

• A. Disc herniation or nerve root irritation
• B. Knee osteoarthritis
• C. Hip labral tear
• D. Ankle sprain

Answer: (A)

Cross straight leg raise tests for nerve root irritation from a lumbar disc herniation. When you lift the opposite leg, the tension travels through the dural sac and stretches the nerve roots on the affected side. If a herniated disc is compressing that nerve root, this maneuver reproduces radicular pain in the leg on the affected side, often following the distribution of the irritated root (commonly L5–S1). This is why the presence of pain in the affected leg during this test strongly suggests disc herniation with nerve root involvement. The other conditions listed don’t typically produce this pattern. Knee osteoarthritis tends to cause local knee joint pain and mechanical symptoms; a hip labral tear causes groin or hip pain with mechanical signs; an ankle sprain causes localized ankle pain.

Cross straight leg raise tests for nerve root irritation from a lumbar disc herniation. When you lift the opposite leg, the tension travels through the dural sac and stretches the nerve roots on the affected side. If a herniated disc is compressing that nerve root, this maneuver reproduces radicular pain in the leg on the affected side, often following the distribution of the irritated root (commonly L5–S1). This is why the presence of pain in the affected leg during this test strongly suggests disc herniation with nerve root involvement.

The other conditions listed don’t typically produce this pattern. Knee osteoarthritis tends to cause local knee joint pain and mechanical symptoms; a hip labral tear causes groin or hip pain with mechanical signs; an ankle sprain causes localized ankle pain.