Prone straight leg raise test interpretation: which finding suggests poor stabiliser recruitment?

Prone straight leg raise test interpretation: which finding suggests poor stabiliser recruitment?

• A. Excessive pelvic rotation or lumbar extension suggests poor stabiliser recruitment.
• B. Reduced knee flexion suggests hamstring lengthening.
• C. Pelvic hiking indicates gluteus maximus overactivity.
• D. Anterior pelvic tilt indicates tight hip flexors.

Answer: (A)

In this test, what you’re looking for is how well the deep stabilizing muscles can keep the pelvis and lower back still while the leg rises. When those stabilizers aren’t activating properly, the body compensates by letting the pelvis rotate or the lumbar spine extend so the leg can lift. That excessive pelvic rotation or lumbar extension is a clear sign that stabilizer recruitment isn’t happening effectively. The other signs point to different issues: reduced knee flexion suggests hamstring length limitations, pelvic hiking is a compensatory move often related to hip or trunk control elsewhere, and anterior pelvic tilt points to tight hip flexors. None of these demonstrate the specific failure of stabilizers to control the lumbopelvic region during the PSLR as clearly as the observed rotation or lumbar extension does.

In this test, what you’re looking for is how well the deep stabilizing muscles can keep the pelvis and lower back still while the leg rises. When those stabilizers aren’t activating properly, the body compensates by letting the pelvis rotate or the lumbar spine extend so the leg can lift. That excessive pelvic rotation or lumbar extension is a clear sign that stabilizer recruitment isn’t happening effectively.

The other signs point to different issues: reduced knee flexion suggests hamstring length limitations, pelvic hiking is a compensatory move often related to hip or trunk control elsewhere, and anterior pelvic tilt points to tight hip flexors. None of these demonstrate the specific failure of stabilizers to control the lumbopelvic region during the PSLR as clearly as the observed rotation or lumbar extension does.