If you’ve ever had a serious hip injury or have undergone hip surgery, you will likely to be referred to aphysical therapistto help you recover. As part of your recovery, you will perform a series of exercises aimed at strengthing the leg and restoring its fullrange of motion (ROM). One of the foundational exercises is the straight leg raise.

Common Causes of Hip Pain

Instructions

Verywell / Ben Goldstein

You need no special equipment to do a straight leg raise other than space where you can lie on your back freely. From start to finish, the exercise takes around five minutes to complete and is usually performed with other complementary exercises three to four times per day.

It is often better to do the straight leg raise on a carpeted floor than a soft bed. Soft surfaces can compromise the position of your hips, allowing them to twist or sink rather than remaining neutral.

To start the straight leg raise:

When done correctly, you will feel the tension in your hip, thigh, and abdomen throughout the movement.

Advanced Hip Strengthening Exercises

Variations

This straight leg raise can be challenging but should not cause pain. If it does, stop and call your healthcare provider or physical therapist.

Sometimes the straight eg raise may be uncomfortable, so other hip-strengthening exercises are used.

These may include:

Diagnostic Testing

In addition to its therapeutic application, the straight leg raise can be used diagnostically to evaluate the strength and stability of your leg. The exercise is performed passively as the healthcare provider or physical therapist lifts your leg while you are lying on your back on an examining table.

To perform the SLRT, each leg is tested individually with the normal leg lifted first.

To begin:

The test can help the practitioner determine if there is hip pain orradiculopathy(pinched nerve) in the lumbosacral region of the spine.

If you experience sciatic pain when your leg is lifted 30 to 70 degrees, lumbosacral radiculopathy can be diagnosed. If not, the pain is likely related to the hip, buttocks, or other causes.

The SLRT is also known as the Lasègue’s sign. The test was named after the 19th-century physician, Ernest-Charles Lasègue, who introduced the test as a means to confirm sciatica and lumbar disc problems.

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4 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Pande K.The Use of Passive Straight Leg Raising Test: A Survey of Clinicians.Malays Orthop J. 2015;9(3):44-48. doi:10.5704/MOJ.1511.012

Homayouni K, Jafari SH, Yari H.Sensitivity and Specificity of Modified Bragard Test in Patients With Lumbosacral Radiculopathy Using Electrodiagnosis as a Reference Standard.J Chiropr Med. 2018;17(1):36-43. doi:10.1016/j.jcm.2017.10.004

Kamath SU, Kamath SS.Lasègue’s Sign.J Clin Diagn Res. 2017;11(5):RG01-RG02. doi:10.7860/JCDR/2017/24899.9794

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