Want more iVillage? Sign up for our
Newsletters
Movement tests for evaluating low back pain
Movement tests for evaluating low back pain include:
- Walking. You walk while your doctor watches you for things like how you move and carry your body, and whether you limp or favor one leg as you walk.
- Flexion. You bend forward and try to touch your toes. The extent to which you can bend without significant pain allows your doctor to look for limitation of movement and to check the spinal muscles for signs of muscle sensitivity and spasm.
- Extension. You hyperextend your back by bending backward.
- Rotation. You rotate your back by keeping your hips still and turning your upper body from side to side.
- Side bending. You bend to one side, then the other, keeping your hips level and not letting your body rotate.
In general, increased pain on bending forward (flexion) suggests a disc problem. Pain that increases when bending backward (extending the spine) suggests degenerative changes, spinal stenosis, or spondylolisthesis. When you do side bending and rotation, your doctor is looking for differences between the two sides, such as whether you can bend farther to one side than the other. Spasms of the muscles next to the spine can create pain with any of these tests.
For most people with low back pain, at least one of these tests will cause symptoms. This helps the doctor identify the cause of low back pain.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: February 4, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine Robert B. Keller, MD - Orthopedics | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
from
- Facebook is now fueling organ donations
- Military women and suicide: Home safe but not sound
- Still in gear: Injuries don’t stop veterans on 100-day bike trek
- Ask Jenna: I've hit a weight loss plateau. What do I do?
- He poses in a tutu to laugh in face of wife's cancer
- After chemo hair loss, 'henna crowns' help heal
The iVillage Network