Special tests

Question 1

Which tendons are stretched with the Finkelstein’s test?

Answer 1

tendons of the extensor pollicis brevis

and adductor pollicis longus (medial)

Question 2

Tennis elbow test

Answer 2

1. Practitioner actively resists patient’s wrist extension
   or
2. Practitioner passively extends patient’s elbow and flexes the wrist to stretch the tendons of the wrist extensors.
   Test is positive if pain over lateral epicondyle.
   NB. Pressure may be applied distal to the lat. epicond. whilst doing test.

Question 3

Golfer’s elbow

Answer 3

1. Practitioner palpates over medial epicondyle. Practitioner then resists patient’s active wrist flexion. Pain over the medial epicondyle (flexor tendon origin) is considered positive.
2. Can also be tested for by resisting wrist flexion and forearm pronation with the elbow extended as this brings flexor group further into activity.
   NB. good to place finger just distal to medial epicond.

Question 4

ulnar nerve entrapment

Answer 4

Tinel’s test

affects 4/5th fingers

Question 5

medial nerve entrapment

Answer 5

Support patient’s elbow and pronates patient’s forearm whilst flexing the wrist. This squeezes the median nerve within the Pronator Teres muscle.
Neural symptoms in thumb and 1st/2nd finger and possibly local tenderness at the elbow.