Exams for Cervical radiculopathy - which test is used to assess cervical radiculopathy by distracting the spine?

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The main concept here is using traction to relieve nerve root compression in the cervical spine. The cervical distraction test lifts the head to gently distract the cervical vertebrae, widening the neural foramina and reducing pressure on the exiting nerve roots. If radicular symptoms—such as shooting pain, tingling, or numbness in the arm—improve or disappear with this traction, it supports cervical radiculopathy caused by foraminal compression rather than a non-neural or muscular issue. If there’s little to no symptom relief, the source of pain may be non-neurogenic or not due to nerve root compression.

The other tests work differently: Spurling’s test provokes symptoms by compressing the neck to narrow the foraminal space, Allen’s test assesses hand blood flow, and Roo’s test evaluates thoracic outlet syndrome. These do not use spinal distraction to relieve symptoms, which is why the cervical distraction test is the best choice for this specific assessment.