Bakody's test is used to evaluate cervical radiculopathy.

Discover how to excel in the Clinic Readiness Test. Dive into detailed flashcards and multiple choice questions. Elevate your readiness for the evaluation with insightful hints and descriptions.

Bakody's sign uses a relief maneuver to test cervical nerve roots. When the patient places the hand of the affected side on top of the head, the arm is abducted and the neck is slightly decompressed, which opens the neural foramina and reduces tension on the exiting nerve roots. If this position makes the arm pain improve or disappear, it supports cervical radiculopathy caused by nerve root compression (for example from a herniated disc or foraminal stenosis). The other tests target different issues: the Roos stress test evaluates thoracic outlet syndrome, Allen's test checks hand blood supply, and Spurling's test reproduces radicular symptoms by applying axial neck compression. Bakody's sign is specifically a relief test for cervical nerve root involvement.