What does localized back pain without leg radiation during Kemp's test suggest?

What does localized back pain without leg radiation during Kemp's test suggest?

• A. Nerve root compression
• B. Facet joint involvement
• C. Muscle strain
• D. Sacroiliac joint dysfunction

Answer: (B)

Kemp's test loads the lumbar facet joints by guiding the spine into extension, rotation, and side bending. When this maneuver provokes pain that stays localized to the back and does not radiate down the leg, it points to facet joint involvement. Nerve root compression or disc issues typically produce radicular symptoms—pain, tingling, or weakness that travels into the leg—because those conditions irritate the nerve roots. Muscle strain can cause local back pain, but Kemp's test is designed to stress the facet joints specifically, so a pattern of localized back pain without leg radiation is most consistent with facet joint pathology. SI joint dysfunction would present with pain around the SI region and is less likely to be reproduced in this way by Kemp's maneuver.

Kemp's test loads the lumbar facet joints by guiding the spine into extension, rotation, and side bending. When this maneuver provokes pain that stays localized to the back and does not radiate down the leg, it points to facet joint involvement. Nerve root compression or disc issues typically produce radicular symptoms—pain, tingling, or weakness that travels into the leg—because those conditions irritate the nerve roots. Muscle strain can cause local back pain, but Kemp's test is designed to stress the facet joints specifically, so a pattern of localized back pain without leg radiation is most consistent with facet joint pathology. SI joint dysfunction would present with pain around the SI region and is less likely to be reproduced in this way by Kemp's maneuver.