Pectoralis Major Length Test

The Pectoralis muscles are famous for getting shortened, the reason for this mainly lies in our sedentary lifestyles where many people spend hours a day in front of a desk or computer with protracted shoulders and the arms in internal rotation and adduction.

To assess the length of the pectoralis major instruct your patient to flex the arms to 90 degrees and to bring the hands together behind the head.
From that position, you are going to try to bring the elbows down to the bench.

If you fail to bring the elbows down to the bench this indicates a shortened pectoralis major.
Your patient can also give you information on the sensation of muscle stretch.

If you are interested in muscle length assessment of other muscles in the shoulder region, check out our wiki posts below:

• Pectoralis Minor Length Test
• Biceps Brachii Length Test
• Triceps Brachii Length Test

Magee DJ. Orthopedic physical assessment-E-Book. Elsevier Health Sciences; 2014 Mar 25.