An observational study in Lumbosacral Radicular Pain, Lumbar Radiculopathy and Straight Leg Raise, sponsored by Marmara University. Recruiting at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-18.
Sponsored by Marmara University · Observational
This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the straight leg raise test in patients with suspected lumbosacral radicular pain. Lumbosacral radicular pain is often caused by lumbar disc herniation and may radiate from the lower back or buttock to the leg. Although the straight leg raise test is commonly used in clinical practice, its diagnostic performance has been reported to vary.
In this study, diagnostic transforaminal epidural steroid injection or selective nerve root block will be used as the reference standard. The sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios, and area under the curve of the straight leg raise test will be calculated. The findings may help guide clinicians in determining when the straight leg raise test is sufficient and when further diagnostic confirmation may be needed.
Low back pain is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Lumbosacral radicular pain is commonly caused by lumbar disc herniation and is characterized by pain radiating from the lower back or buttock to the leg in a dermatomal distribution. The straight leg raise test is a simple and widely used physical examination test for evaluating suspected lumbar radiculopathy; however, its diagnostic accuracy varies across studies.
This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the straight leg raise test in patients with suspected lumbosacral radicular pain. Diagnostic transforaminal epidural steroid injection or selective nerve root block will be used as the reference standard. Only technically selective injections performed without sedation and with a low volume of short-acting local anesthetic will be included in the analysis. The study will assess the sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios, and area under the curve of the straight leg raise test. The results may help clarify when the straight leg raise test is reliable on its own and when additional diagnostic confirmation may be needed for clinical decision-making.
483 studies on the registry are indexed under Radiculopathy; 145 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 88 is below the median of 100 across 95 observational studies indexed under Radiculopathy.
Browse Radiculopathy studies →Marmara University is the lead sponsor of 599 studies on the registry; 138 are open to participants now.
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Adult patients aged 18 to 65 years with a preliminary diagnosis of lumbar radicular pain based on medical history, physical examination, and lumbar magnetic resonance imaging, who are scheduled to undergo transforaminal epidural injection targeting the L4, L5, or S1 nerve root, will be included in the study.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Blood tests of how long blood takes to clot. The INR is the prothrombin time (PT) put on a common scale; about 1 is usual for someone not taking a blood thinner.
Criteria often make an exception for people on a blood thinner such as warfarin, whose INR is raised on purpose.
Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.
An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
INR, PT and aPTT (clotting tests)
Blood tests of how long blood takes to clot. The INR is the prothrombin time (PT) put on a common scale; about 1 is usual for someone not taking a blood thinner.
Criteria often make an exception for people on a blood thinner such as warfarin, whose INR is raised on purpose.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Platelets
Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Hypersensitivity
An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Corticosteroids (steroids)
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Patients with suspected lumbosacral radicular pain who undergo clinical evaluation including the straight leg raise test and diagnostic transforaminal epidural steroid injection.
Diagnostic Performance of the Straight Leg Raise Test
The diagnostic performance of the straight leg raise test will be evaluated in patients with suspected lumbosacral radicular pain using diagnostic transforaminal epidural steroid injection as the reference standard.
Time frame: Before and 1 hour after diagnostic transforaminal epidural steroid injection.
Change in Pain Intensity Assessed by Visual Analog Scale
Pain intensity will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale, which ranges from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater pain intensity. Pain intensity will be measured before and 1 hour after diagnostic transforaminal epidural steroid injection. The change in Visual Analog Scale score after the diagnostic intervention will be evaluated in patients with suspected lumbosacral radicular pain.
Time frame: Before and 1 hour after diagnostic transforaminal epidural steroid injection.
DN-4 Quastionnaire
The DN-4 (Douleur Neuropathique en 4 Questions) is a brief and reliable screening questionnaire used to determine whether a patient's pain is of neuropathic origin. It consists of a total of 10 items. Its name, DN-4, derives from the fact that it includes 4 main sections. Seven of the questions relate to patient-reported sensory symptoms, while three are based on clinical examination findings. Each "yes" response scores 1 point, yielding a total score ranging from 0 to 10. A score above 4 indicates a high likelihood of neuropathic pain.
Time frame: Before diagnostic transforaminal epidural steroid injection
Intervertebral Disc Degeneration Assessed by Pfirrmann Grading Scale
Intervertebral disc degeneration will be evaluated using the Pfirrmann grading scale on lumbar magnetic resonance imaging. The Pfirrmann grading scale ranges from grade I to grade V, with higher grades indicating more severe intervertebral disc degeneration. Pfirrmann grades will be evaluated in relation to clinical findings, straight leg raise test results, pain intensity, and response to the diagnostic intervention in patients with suspected lumbosacral radicular pain.
Time frame: Using available lumbar magnetic resonance imaging obtained before or after the diagnostic intervention, up to November 1, 2026
Diagnostic Performance of the Bragard Test
The diagnostic performance of the Bragard test will be evaluated in patients with suspected lumbosacral radicular pain. The Bragard test will be assessed before and 1 hour after diagnostic transforaminal epidural steroid injection, using the response to the diagnostic intervention as the reference standard.
Time frame: Before and 1 hour after diagnostic transforaminal epidural steroid injection
Nerve Root Compression Grade on Lumbar Magnetic Resonance Imaging
The degree of nerve root compression will be evaluated on lumbar magnetic resonance imaging in patients with suspected lumbosacral radicular pain. Nerve root compression grade will be assessed in relation to straight leg raise test results, Bragard test results, pain intensity, and response to diagnostic transforaminal epidural steroid injection.
Time frame: Using available lumbar magnetic resonance imaging during the study period, up to November 1, 2026
Plan to share: No
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Started Dec 2025 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Sep 2026, 8 months after the start.
Of 40 observational studies under Radiculopathy, half reached primary completion within 75 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 26 and three quarters within 95. This study's planned 8 months is below that.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
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