If Kemp's test produces sharp radiating pain into the leg, this most strongly suggests what?

If Kemp's test produces sharp radiating pain into the leg, this most strongly suggests what?

• A. Facet joint irritation
• B. No nerve involvement
• C. Muscle strain
• D. Nerve root compression

Answer: (D)

Sharp radiating pain down the leg from a provocative lumbar test points to nerve involvement rather than isolated muscle or facet tissue. Kemp's test combines extension, rotation, and loading of the spine to stress the neural elements as they exit the foramina. If a nerve root is compressed—such as by a disc herniation or foraminal narrowing—the maneuver can reproduce a sharp, shooting radicular pain along the distribution of the affected nerve root. Facet joint irritation typically causes localized low back or buttock pain without a clear radicular pattern, and muscle strain presents as localized muscle pain with movement rather than leg radiation. So, when the pain radiates into the leg, the strongest implication is nerve root compression.

Sharp radiating pain down the leg from a provocative lumbar test points to nerve involvement rather than isolated muscle or facet tissue. Kemp's test combines extension, rotation, and loading of the spine to stress the neural elements as they exit the foramina. If a nerve root is compressed—such as by a disc herniation or foraminal narrowing—the maneuver can reproduce a sharp, shooting radicular pain along the distribution of the affected nerve root. Facet joint irritation typically causes localized low back or buttock pain without a clear radicular pattern, and muscle strain presents as localized muscle pain with movement rather than leg radiation. So, when the pain radiates into the leg, the strongest implication is nerve root compression.