Femoral Nerve Entrapment Test

What is a Femoral Nerve Entrapment?

, also known as femoral neuropathy or femoral nerve dysfunction, is when a patient’s femoral nerve is pinched, compressed, entrapped, or damaged, causing the patient’s loss of sensation or movement ability in the leg. If not identified or diagnosed right away, femoral nerve entrapment can:

• Interfere with a patient’s walking ability
• Negatively affect the sensation of a patient’s leg and foot
• Prevent the flow of blood in a nerve that will result in damage to the tissue
• Cause more injuries because weakness in one’s leg muscles can increase one’s risk of falling

To diagnose, a practitioner must conduct several physical exams, an interview, and additional tests such as CT scans, EMG, MRI, and nerve conduction.

One of the physical tests a practitioner can conduct is the femoral nerve entrapment test, also known as the prone knee bending test or reversed Lasègue test. The test helps practitioners check the femoral nerve up to the nerve roots of the upper lumbar spine (L2-L4).

Heard of the test but unfamiliar with the instructions, results, and the like? Proceed to the next section for step-by-step directions on downloading and using the template we’ve created that comes complete with the test’s instructions, result interpretation, and more.

How does this Femoral Nerve Test work?

Step One. Access the Template.

Access and download the template by:

• Clicking the “Use this Template” or “Download Template” button above
• Searching for the “Femoral Nerve Test” in Carepatron’s template library on our website or app

Step Two. Conduct the Test

Before you begin, don’t forget to complete the required basic information, such as the patient’s name, your name, and the exam date. Afterward, you may proceed to follow the test instructions.

Though you have a copy of the directions in the template, to help you prepare as early as now, we’ve written the step-by-step below.

1. Have your patient in a prone position or lying face down. You may provide a pillow to place under their abdomen for their comfort.
2. Bend or flex the knee 90 degrees.
3. Hyperflex the knee or push the ankle downwards or towards the buttocks.
4. If the patient doesn’t show any symptoms, stabilize the hip with one hand, lift the knee, and push the ankle towards the buttocks once more.

Step Three. Interpret

Once finished with testing, record the patient’s results and findings. We’ve also provided the interpretation guide you’ll find on the template:

(+) Positive test if:

• The patient feels a tightness in the anterior thigh
• The patient feels a shooting, stabbing, or burning sensation symptomatic of nerve pain.

Step Four. Proceed with Further Testing

As mentioned in the first section, this test isn’t enough to diagnose femoral nerve entrapment. So, it’s best to have them undergo several more physical exams, interviews, or imaging tests like CT scans, EMGs, and MRIs.

Scoring? 

To obtain a Femoral Nerve Entrapment Test Score, simply tick the negative or positive checkbox based on the interpretation that matches your observation. 

When to use this Femoral Nerve Entrapment Assessment?

Practitioners who can use the Femoral Nerve Entrapment Assessment are patients who either have the symptoms of femoral neuropathy or participate in activities that can cause damage to the femoral nerve.

To assist you, we’ve listed the causes and symptoms for your reference.

Causes

• Direct injury causing a pelvic fracture
• Growing tumor or anything else that may be blocking/trapping a part of the nerve
• A catheter placed into the femoral artery, which is usually needed for some surgical procedures
• Internal bleeding or hemorrhage behind the abdomen
• Pressure on the nerve for a long time
• Diabetes or hip arthritis

Symptoms

• Leg or knee feels weak
• Can’t put pressure on the affected leg
• Having a hard time moving around or extending the knee
• Tingling, dull pain, or numbness in the leg
• Feeling like your leg/knee is going to buckle under you

Who are these Femoral Nerve Entrapment Test PDF for?

Any practitioner specializing in diagnosing and treating injuries in the lower extremities, especially the leg and knee, will benefit from a PDF copy of the Femoral Nerve Entrapment Test. To be more specific, here’s the list of the practitioners we’re describing above.

• Physiatrist
• Neurologist/Neurosurgeon
• Orthopedist
• Primary Care Doctor/Physician

Benefits of the Free Femoral Stretch Test

Easy to Understand

The few instructions of the Free Femoral Stretch Test are written in layman’s terms which makes it easy to understand and follow. To add, the template is short and designed to be intuitive so you can effortlessly navigate through the sections.

Quick to Administer

Because the Femoral Entrapment Test is short, you only need a few minutes to conduct it. That means you’ll have the test results in no time ready to be used as a basis for further testing.

Written Copies for Reference

With our template, you now have written copies you can use as a reference. That way, you don’t have to worry about forgetting the results. And on Carepatron, you can give them limited viewing access so they don’t have to look for you to know the test results.

Encourages Communication

There are several causes of femoral nerve entrapment. One way to identify the cause is to communicate with your patient and ask about their injury or medical history. To add, since this test can’t be the sole basis for a diagnosis, if the patient tests positive, it encourages communication among practitioners to identify the cause and formulate a treatment plan moving forward.

Fully Digital

Since our template is fully digital, it makes it editable and accessible on any local PDF editor on any of the gadgets you have on hand or right on Carepatron. Even better, you can store the results right on Carepatron for effortless sharing with relevant parties.