User:Jhamm2/KernigBrudzinksiSigns/

The Kernig-Brudzinski Test is an orthopedic special test concerning the lumbar and thoracic portion of the spine.

Purpose
Increased pain during the test specific movements is the confirmed positive finding and is indicative of other pathologies: nerve root impingement caused by intervertebral disc bulging, bony entrapment, narrowing of the intervertebral foramen ,and exaggerated irritation of the meninges or dural sheath due to increased tension with elongation of the spinal cord (Brudzinski's Sign).

Procedure
The examiner observes for elicited pain while the patient is lying supine (on back) through a combination of sequential passive and active flexing motions of three body parts by the patient: the hip and knees (Kernig's Sign), and the head (Brudzinski's Sign).

Mechanism
Kernig's Sign
 * Patient performs unilateral straight leg raise (SLR) on examiner side until pain occurs with knee in full extension.
 * Patient actively flexes hip and knee to no more than 90°, while leaving opposite leg on examining table.

Brudzinksi's Sign
 * Passive cervical spine flexion (lifting head upward) accompanied by hip and knee flexion.
 * Performed due to an absence of pain during the SLR to further elongate the spinal cord.

Results
Kernigs's Sign Brudzinski's Sign
 * Positive finding: Radiating pain into lower extremities or localized pain in spine, while knee flexion relieves the pain.  This identifies nerve root entrapment caused by a bulging of an intervertebral disc, bony entrapment, or narrowing of the intervertebral foramina.
 * Positive finding: Pain caused by irritation of the meninges or dural sheath due to spinal cord elongation.

Eponym
Kernig's Sign: It was named after Vladimir Kernig.

Brudzinski's Sign: It was named after Josef Brudzinski.