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Upper limb tension test A

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Contents

Purpose

  • To test for the presence of cervical radiculopathy
  • A component of the Test Item Cluster for the Diagnosis of Cervical Radiculopathy to determine the likelihood that a patient has cervical radiculopathy

Technique[1]

The patient is supine. The examiner performs the following movement sequence:

  • Scapular depression
  • Shoulder abduction
  • Forearm supination, wrist and finger extension
  • Shoulder lateral elevation
  • Elbow extension
  • Contralateral/ipsilateral cervical side bending

Positive Test

The test is positive if one or more of the following occurs:

  • Symptoms reproduced
  • Side to side difference in elbow extension greater than 10 degrees
  • Contralateral cervical side bending increases symptoms, or ipsilateral side bending decreases symptoms

[2]

Evidence

Diagnostic Accuracy[3]

Reference standard cervical radiculopathy as diagnosed by needle electromyography and nerve conduction studies.

Sensitivity= .50

Specificity= .86

-LR= .58

+LR= 3.5

Reliability

Inter-examiner Kappa= .76

Resources

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Recent Related Research (from Pubmed)

References

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  1. ↑ Flynn TW, Cleland JA, Whitman JM. Users' Guide To The Musculoskeletal Examination. Evidence in Motion; 2008.
  2. ↑ ULTT Median Nerve Bias. (2009, June 8). ClinicallyRelevant.com: Upper Limb Tension Test A [Video]. Retrieved Nov 15, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlGVm4uKCMY
  3. ↑ Hartley A. Practical Joint Assessment. St Louis: Mosby; 1995.
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