HISTORY AND PHYSICAL-EXAMINATION IN PATIENTS WITH HERNIATED LUMBAR DISCS

To outline the usefulness of the medical history and physical examinat ion in the diagnosis of herniated lumbar discs, and to review the esse ntial properties of a test, including sensitivity, specificity, and cl inical value. None of the tests that are part of a history and physica l examination of a patient with a disc herniation has a high diagnosti c accuracy by itself. This is because positive and negative predictive values of common clinical indicators are limited. Confirmatory tests are necessary for a definitive diagnosis when making management decisi ons. Combining the results of history and physical findings will incre ase the predictive value of these basic diagnostic tools.