Kehr's sign is a clinical finding indicating diaphragmatic irritation with referred pain to which area?

• A. Kehr's sign
• B. Tinel sign
• C. Phalen sign
• D. McBurney sign

Answer: (A)

Diaphragmatic irritation can cause referred pain in the shoulder through the phrenic nerve (C3–C5). Kehr's sign is the left shoulder pain that results from irritation of the diaphragmatic peritoneum, classically due to splenic rupture or intraabdominal bleeding. The left shoulder area is affected because the phrenic nerve share pathways with the shoulder region in that spinal-nerve distribution. The other signs listed relate to different conditions—Tinel and Phalen signs are for carpal tunnel/median nerve issues, and McBurney sign is for appendicitis with tenderness at McBurney's point—so they don’t describe diaphragmatic irritation.