Test library › Shoulder & upper arm
Spurling's test
For: Cervical radiculopathy
Irritation or compression of a nerve root in the neck, usually by a disc bulge or bony narrowing. Causes arm pain, and sometimes pins and needles, numbness or weakness along that nerve.
A weak test on its ownLR+ as pooled in the review. LR− calculated from the pooled sensitivity and specificity, because the review's own pooled LR− (0.28) doesn't fit its 53% sensitivity. Where the review's figures disagree, the more cautious one is shown.
What the numbers mean
- Positive result: a small shift: a positive result nudges the diagnosis up, but does not settle it.
- Negative result: barely informative: a negative result changes little.
Source
Lin LH, Lin TY, Chang KV, Tzang CC, Wu WT, Özçakar L. Diagnostic Performance of Spurling's Test for the Assessment of Subacute and Chronic Cervical Radiculopathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2025;104(8):717–723. Journal article · meta-analysis
Figures as they will appear in Rule It In, Rule It Out (Trokos, forthcoming). If a newer or better study changes them, this page changes with the book. Figures last updated from the book on 2 October 2026.
Get the book for the shoulder questions that matter: neck or shoulder, a painful cuff or a torn one, and an unstable joint or the labrum
This page gives the published figures. Rule It In, Rule It Out adds how to do this test, what counts as positive, how to read the result, and, where studied, whether combining it with other tests helps.
Coming in late 2026 as a PDF and a paperback. Join the list to hear when it's out
One study, one test, once a month
Rule It In is a free evidence letter for musculoskeletal clinicians: one recent study explained, one examination test with its real numbers. From Trokos, publisher of Rule It In, Rule It Out.