In plain words
The active straight leg raise test is a simple check a clinician may use when you have back or pelvic pain after birth. You lie on your back. You lift one straight leg a few inches while the clinician watches the pelvis. Pain near the sacroiliac joints during the lift can suggest . Back pain is different and often sits in the lower spine. Many mothers have some of both, and the test helps sort them out. It does not diagnose anything alone, and clinicians use it with other checks. Pain that is getting worse, wakes a mother at night, or is severe is something clinicians want to hear about.
The deeper version
The active straight leg raise (ASLR) test is performed supine. The examiner watches whether the patient can lift an extended leg while the pelvis stays stable, and a positive test reproduces posterior pelvic pain. Its accuracy for pelvic girdle pain varies across studies, so it is used as part of a cluster of provocation tests, including the posterior pelvic pain provocation test. The European guidelines (Vleeming and colleagues, 2008, European Spine Journal) classify pelvic girdle pain by location and provocation and recommend a multidimensional approach. Diagnostic accuracy of single provocation tests in the postpartum population is modest, so cluster-based interpretation and a physiotherapy assessment are preferred over any one positive result.
Where it comes up
- Pelvic girdle pain and SPDPregnancy: Your Body
- Back, neck, and shoulder pain from feeding and carryingPostpartum: Your Body
What mothers here say about active straight leg raise test
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Sources
- Vleeming A and colleagues — European guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of pelvic girdle pain, European Spine Journal (2008)