Elbow
Muscle & Tendon
Evidence: suggestive
Passive Pronation Test Special Test
Orthopedic Physical Examination & Clinical Assessment Guide
What is it used for?
- Identifying a partial tear or thickening of the bicipital aponeurosis/tendon.
How to Perform
- Action: Passively pronate the patient's forearm to the end range.
Interpretation of Results
- Positive Test: Loss of pronation range compared to the other side suggests bicipital pathology (the tendon winds around the radius).
Clinical Context & Limitations
The Passive Pronation Test should be considered as one component of a comprehensive musculoskeletal assessment. No single special test has perfect diagnostic accuracy; thus, clinical decision-making should integrate test results with patient-reported symptoms, mechanism of injury, functional impairment, and relevant imaging.
Clinicians should be aware of potential false-positive results in patients with pain sensitisation, muscle guarding, or poor relaxation. For the Elbow region, combining the Passive Pronation Test with complementary examination tests significantly improves overall diagnostic confidence.
References
- Magee, D. J. (2021). Orthopedic Physical Assessment.
