Spurling's test is used to assess which condition?

• A. Spurling's test
• B. Bakody's sign
• C. Spence's test
• D. Lasegue test

Answer: (A)

Spurling's test is a provocative maneuver used to detect cervical nerve root compression, i.e., cervical radiculopathy due to foraminal stenosis or disc impingement. By extending the neck and rotating it toward the suspected side and then applying downward axial pressure, you compress the exiting nerve roots. If this reproduces shooting pain or paresthesias that travel down the arm in a dermatomal pattern, it suggests the nerve root is being compressed in the foramen. This helps distinguish radiculopathy from non-radicular neck pain. Other options relate to different conditions: Bakody's sign involves relief of radicular symptoms with shoulder abduction, Lasegue tests lumbar nerve root tension, and Spence's test targets shoulder pathology rather than cervical nerve roots.