SPECIAL TESTS FOR ELBOW AND
FOREARM.
1. Golfer’s Elbow
2. Cozen’s test
 A quick method test for Medial
Epicondylitis also known as,
“Golfer’s elbow”
 This condition is highlighted by
pain and inflammation of the
tendons that connect the forearm
to the elbow.
Procedure:
Procedure:
 Patient may be seated or standing.
Standing:
 Have your patient in a standing
position
 Fixate your patient’s humerus and
palpate the medial epicondyle at
the same time passively supinate
your patient’s forearm
 Extend through patient’s wrist and
extend the elbow fully.
Seated:
 Patient should be seated
comfortably during the test.
 Examiner extends the patient’s
elbow as well as the wrist and
fingers to stretch common flexor
tendon.
 The examiner takes notes of any
Positive:
pain or discomfort while the
procedure is being done.
 The examiner may supinate the
forearm to increase stretch of the
tendon.
3. Speed test
 Let the patient rest when the
procedure is over.
POSITIVE TEST:
 Positive if the patient complains
about a sudden pain at the medial
epicondyle
 Designed to maximally flex and
thus provoke the extensor carpi
radialis longus and brevis.
 To identify lateral epicondylitis or
tennis elbow.
 Also called wrist extension test or
resistive tennis elbow test
 Patient should be in a seated
position.
 Then ask the patient to fully flex his
elbow with the forearm pronated
and the wrist extended. Similar to
“waiter position”.
 Then apply pressure over the
direction of the elbow extension
and wrist flexion as you use the
other hand to stabilize the patient’s
elbow.
 Then palpate his lateral epicondyle
with your thumb.
 Then ask your patient to make a
fist, pronate his forearm, and
radially deviate.
 Then ask your patient to extend the
wrist while you give resistance.
 If the patient complains about
sudden pain at the lateral
epicondyle.
 To test for tenosynovitis of the
long biceps tendon
  Test for superior labral tears or
bicipital tendonitis.
Procedure:
 Sitting or standing
 In a standing position, ask the
patient to extend his elbow and
fully supinate the forearm.
 Then ask your patient flex his
shoulder from 0-60 degrees, while
you give resistance.
2nd version:
 The patient is asked to extend his
elbow, fully supinate his forearm
and brings the shoulder into a
90degree flexion.
 In this position, the patient is asked
to resist downward pressure.
When downward pressure is applied, the
biceps tendon acts like a suspensor cable
from its insertion on the superior labrum
to the arm. Increased tension on this cable
and if inflammation is present is thought
to result in pain in shoulder.
Positive:
 If your patient reports pain in the
bicipital groove where the long
tendon of the biceps enters the
shoulder capsule.
4. Mills test
 Designed to maximally stretch and
therefore provoke the extensor
carpi radialis longus and brevis.
 Diagnosing lateral epicondylitis in
the elbow.
Procedure:
 Patient may be seated or standing
 fixate the humerus while you
palpate the lateral epicondyle, then
passively pronate your patient’s
forearm, flex the wrist, and extend
the elbow fully.
Positive:
 A reproduction of pain in the area
of the insertion at the lateral
epicondyle indicates a positive test.
5. Wartenberg’s sign
 A neurological sign consisting
involuntary abduction of the fifth
little finger, caused by unopposed
action of the extensor digiti
minimi .
 Commonly results from the
weakness of the ulnar nerve.
Procedure:
 The patient should be in a seated
position with the arm fully
pronated on the table.
 Passively abduct the patient’s
fingers.
 Then ask the patient to adduct the
fingers towards the middle finger.
 If the patient was unable to adduct
the pinky towards the middle
finger then the test is positive.
6. Yergason test
 Designed to test the transverse
humeral ligament which holds the
long bicep tendon in the bicipital
groove.
Procedure:
 Have your patient in a standing
position
  Forearm flexed to 90 degrees in full
pronation and stabilized against
the body.
 Then ask your patient to perform
supination and resist the
movement
 At the same time make sure you
palpate the biceps tendon in the
bicipital groove.
Positive:
 If you feel the biceps tendon
popping out of the groove, this
indicates a tear of the transverse
humeral ligament.
 Tenderness or pain without the
pop- indicates bicep tendonitis or
slap lesions.