Slump Test Neurodynamics Assessment

Starting position:

  1. Patient฀sits฀with฀thighs฀supported,฀knees฀together,฀and฀arms฀comfortably behind back.
  2. Therapist฀stands฀beside฀and฀close฀to฀the฀patient,฀perhaps฀with฀one฀leg up on the treatment table.

Movement sequence:

  1. Patient฀is฀asked฀to฀sag฀or฀slump;฀gentle฀hand฀pressure฀by฀therapist฀can฀guide฀ the movement to obtain a bowing of the spine rather than hip flexion.
  2. Patient฀is฀asked฀to฀lex฀his฀or฀her฀head฀and฀neck฀forward฀in฀a฀c฀hin- to-chest motion.
  3. Patient฀is฀asked฀to฀perform฀ankle฀dorsilexion฀and฀then฀extend฀the฀ knee actively as much they are able to within symptom tolerance.

Structural differentiation:

  1. Based฀on฀where฀the฀symptoms฀(if฀any)฀are฀located.
  2. If฀distal฀symptoms฀have฀developed฀(e.g.,฀knee,฀posterior฀thigh),฀the฀head and neck are released from flexion and any change in the distal symptoms would constitute a positive structural differentiation.
  3. If฀proximal฀symptoms฀have฀developed฀(e.g.,฀neck฀and฀upper฀back฀ pain), the ankle is released from dorsiflexion and any change in the proximal symptoms would constitute a positive structural
    differentiation.