Kernig's Sign
Original Editor Oyemi Sillo
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Description[edit | edit source]
Kernig's sign is one of the physically demonstrable symptoms of meningitis. Severe stiffness of the hamstrings causes an inability to straighten the leg when the hip is flexed to 90 degrees.[1]
Purpose[edit | edit source]
Kernig's sign is used to diagnose meningitis
Technique[edit | edit source]
To elicit the Kernig's sign[2]
Step 1. The patient is positioned in supine with hip and knee flexed to 90 degrees
Step 2. The knee is then slowly extended by the examiner (Repeat on both legs)
Step 3. Resistance or pain and the inability to extend the patient's knee beyond 135 degrees, because of pain, bilaterally indicates a positive Kernig's sign
Evidence[edit | edit source]
Specificity 95%[3]
Positive predictive value 27%[3]
Negative predictive value 72%[3]
Manmohan Mehndiratta, Rajeev Nayak, Hitesh Garg, Munish Kumar, and Sanjay Pandey.Appraisal of Kernig's and Brudzinski's sign in meningitis. Ann Indian Acad Neurol. 2012 Oct-Dec; 15(4): 287–288.
Thirunavukkarasu Arun Babu. Improved sensitivity of Kernig's and Brudzinski's sign in diagnosing meningitis in children. Ann Indian Acad Neurol. 2013 Jul-Sep; 16(3): 460–461.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/19077.htm
- ↑ Brunner & Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-surgical Nursing, Volume 1. edited by Suzanne C. O'Connell Smeltzer, Brenda G. Bare, Janice L. Hinkle, Kerry H. Cheever. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2010
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Karen E. Thomas, Rodrigo Hasbun, James Jekel, Vincent J. Quagliarello, The Diagnostic Accuracy of Kernig's Sign, Brudzinski's Sign, and Nuchal Rigidity in Adults with Suspected Meningitis, Clinical Infectious Diseases, Volume 35, Issue 1, 1 July 2002, Pages 46–52, https://doi.org/10.1086/340979
