Triceps Brachii Length Test

 According to the theory of Janda, the triceps is a phasic muscle that naturally tends to weaken when underused.
The functions of the triceps are extension and adduction at the shoulder and extension at the elbow.

To test for triceps tightness, have your patient in a sitting position with the arm fully forward flexed and in lateral rotation.
While you stabilize the humerus, flex your patient’s elbow.

A normal end-feel would be weak tissue approximation between the biceps and your underarm.
The test is positive if elbow flexion is limited and the end-feel your patient experiences is muscle stretch

21 OF THE MOST USEFUL ORTHOPAEDIC TESTS IN CLINICAL PRACTICE

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

• Pectoralis Major Length Test
• Pectoralis Minor Length Test
• Biceps Brachii Length Test

References

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