A provocation test is a clinical examination technique in which a defined movement, position or load is used specifically to reproduce the complaints described by the patient. If the typical pain or symptoms occur, the test is rated as positive.
Provocation tests are used in diagnostics of the shoulder, spine, sacroiliac joint and knee, among others. Examples are the Lasègue sign for radicular complaints, the forward-flexion phenomenon test at the SIJ or the McMurray test at the meniscus. The informative value of a single test is limited, so combinations of tests (clusters) are usually used.