Brudzinski Sign

Used For

• Meningeal irritation, which may occur in conditions such as meningitis, subarachnoid hemorrhage, or meningeal carcinomatosis.

How to Perform

• The patient lies supine, with hands cupped behind the head. 
• The examiner instructs the patient to flex the head onto the chest actively.

Result

• A positive Brudzinski sign is present if this neck flexion causes involuntary flexion of the hips and knees, or if it elicits pain along the spine or posterior thigh.
• Neck flexion stretches the inflamed meninges and spinal roots, producing pain or causing a reflex flexion of the lower limbs to reduce the tension.