Musculoskeletal · UKMLA & AKT
Lumbar radiculopathy (sciatica)
A free high-yield preview for the UKMLA Applied Knowledge Test, covering how to recognise this condition. The full SA Note notes add investigations, management and complications, with practice questions on this topic.
Key high-yield points
- The exam almost exclusively tests ability to localise the affected nerve root from clinical features. The three key discriminators are: which reflex is reduced, what dermatome is affected, and which movement is weak.
L5 has no lower limb reflex loop - intact reflexes in a patient with foot drop and dorsal foot numbness point firmly to L5. This is the most common exam trap.
S1+S2 - I tie my shoe (ankle jerk); L3+L4 - I kick the door (knee jerk)
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