Modified straight leg raising test: A hypothetical clinical adjunct to distinguish two types of lumbar disc herniation preoperatively

There are two anatomically different types of lumbar disc herniation, contained and noncontained. The status of disc herniation not only has a place of in planning therapeutic procedure, but also appears prognostically important. However, it is difficult to distinguish these two types completely without surgery, even by imaging studies. As a hypothetical clinical adjunct, a modified straight leg raising test is described. This novel diagnostic aid is based on the pathogenesis of sciatica, and enlightened by the mechanisms of both traditional straight leg raising test and traction. We surmise that the mechanical compression caused by herniated disc is predominant in contained type; whereas the chemical inflammatory effect is more pronounced in the pathogenesis of sciatica in noncontained type. Thus, it is hypothesized that in patients with contained type, the symptoms of sciatica, and the angles of straight leg raising test would be different before and after traction. On the other hand, in patients with noncontained type, these clinical appearances could not improve significantly. According to the different symptoms, two types of disc herniation are expected to be distinguished by the straight leg raising test preoperatively. Combined with imaging studies, this hypothetical clinical adjunct is hoped to ameliorate the accuracy of diagnosis. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.