Elbow Varus Instability Stress Test | Lateral Collateral Ligament Injury

The Varus Instability (Stress) Test at the elbow is a common orthopedic test to assess the integrity of the lateral collateral ligament at the elbow joint.
Unfortunately, no literature is available providing information about the reliability and accuracy of this test.

To conduct the test you can have your patient in standing position. With one hand fixate the humerus and put it in external rotation. Palpate the radial collateral ligament, flex the elbow to approximately 20 to 30 degrees and then apply an abduction or varus force.

Usually, you will find a tense ligament, though if you experience increased laxity, a change in range of motion, pain, or a soft end-feel this indicates an injury to the ligament.

If you would like to assess the medial collateral ligament at the elbow, please check out the Varus Instability Stress Test at the elbow here.

Bhattacharyya N, Gubbels SP, Schwartz SR, Edlow JA, El-Kashlan H, Fife T, Holmberg JM, Mahoney K, Hollingsworth DB, Roberts R, Seidman MD. Clinical practice guideline: benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (update). Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. 2017 Mar;156(3_suppl):S1-47.