Straight-leg rasing in 'short hamstrings'. An experimental study of muscle elasticy and defense reactions.

The central guestion asked in this thesis is whether an Experimental Straight-Leg Raising test (E.S.L.R.) can contribute to the solution of a diagnostical problem frequently encountered in rehabilitation medicine. It concerns the determination of the cause of the movement restriction in patients who are unable to bend forward normally from the standing position while holding the knees in extension. For this purpose a clinical test is used aimed to diagnose, on the one hand, the compression of a lumbosacral nerve root and, on the other hand, a poor elasticity of the hamstrings, i.e. short hamstrings. Dependent on the aim, the test is called Lasdguers test or passive muscle stretch test, respectively. Since the execution of both tests does not differ the neutral term Clinical Straight-Leg Raising (C.S.L.R.) has been chosen to denote the test movement. ... Zie: Summary and conclusions