How to Perform the Shoulder Abduction Relief Test (Bakody's Sign) | Nerve Root Compression
This test is used to test for radicular symptoms especially those involving the C4 or C5 nerve roots. The patient is sitting or lying down, and the examiner passively or the patient actively elevates the arm through abduction, so that the hand or forearm rests on top of thehead. A decrease in or relief of symptoms indicates a cervical extradural compression problem such as a herniated disc, epidural vein compresion or nerve root compression, usually in the C4-C5 or C5-C6 area. Differentiation is by the dermatome distribution of the symptom. This finding is also called Bakody's sign.