A 48-year-old man reports intermittent shooting pain down his leg. What would you expect during a physical examination?

The expected finding during a physical examination for a patient experiencing intermittent shooting pain down the leg, indicative of possible nerve root involvement or a herniated disc, is pain with straight leg raise. This test is specifically designed to identify sciatic nerve irritation or lumbar radiculopathy.

When a straight leg raise is performed, the hip flexes while the knee is kept straight, which can increase tension on the sciatic nerve and its roots, particularly if there is a disc herniation at the lumbar spine. This maneuver often reproduces the patient's radiating leg pain due to the engagement of the affected nerve root, thus providing valuable diagnostic information.

Pain with knee flexion, palpation of the lower back, or no pain during movement may present in alternative scenarios but are less likely to specifically confirm the condition suggested by shooting leg pain. Hence, the presence of pain during the straight leg raise test aligns with the typical presentation of nerve root irritation, affirming the significance of this physical examination finding.