Lhermitte's sign

The Lhermitte's sign (also Lhermitt'sches phenomenon - by Jacques Jean Lhermitte ( 1877-1959 ), French neurologist and psychiatrist ) is a clinical sign that plays in the neurological examination a role, but also by those concerned spontaneously in everyday movements with more or less severe bending of the neck can be perceived.

The character is checked by the doctor moves the patient's head passively to the front ( with the chin on the chest). Positive, it is when the examinee an uncomfortable to painful, often geschildertes as electrifying feeling in your arms, torso or legs felt that radiates in the typical case there from the neck. It is not to be confused with neck stiffness, which is characterized by a usually highly painful stiff neck.

The Lhermitte's sign is due to the stretching of the - in contrast to the nerves of the spinal cord - pain-sensitive meninges in the spinal area. It is often found in multiple sclerosis, but can occur in a variety of other diseases associated with inflammation in the spinal cord. Furthermore, for example, tumors, an advanced osteoarthritis of the vertebrae, a myelopathy after irradiation and vitamin B12 deficiency as a cause come into question.