Which test is not used to evaluate spinal canal compromise such as radiculopathy?

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Evaluating spinal canal compromise and radiculopathy relies on provocative maneuvers that load or stretch the lumbar nerve roots. The straight leg raise tests nerve tension along the sciatic pathway and can reproduce radicular pain when there’s disc herniation or foraminal encroachment. The passive lumbar extension test loads the posterior structures of the spine and can reveal symptoms when the canal is narrowed or nerve roots are irritated by stenosis. Kemp’s test stresses the facet joints and the neural foramina, potentially provoking radicular symptoms if there is nerve-root compression from canal narrowing or facet-related pathology. The Phalen test, by contrast, is performed at the wrist to diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome via median nerve compression there and does not assess the lumbar spine. It is not used to evaluate spinal canal compromise or lumbar radiculopathy.