Wrist /Hand Resisted Isometric Testing

Resisted Isometric Strength Testing of the Wrist & Hand
After completing active and passive range of motion assessment you’re going to continue with resisted isometric muscle testing. During resisted isometric muscle testing of the wrist & hand you’re also going to include wrist flexion and extension as some of the forearm muscles are attached to the humeral epicondyles.
During resisted isometric muscle testing of the wrist and hand, you’re also going to evaluate the movements of pronation and supination which we covered in our post on the elbow joint.
For resisted isometric testing of the wrist and hand you can have your patient sit on a stool with the forearm resting on the bench.
- Wrist Extension: To assess wrist extension, fixate the distal forearm and apply resistance on the dorsum of the hand.
- Wrist Flexion: To assess wrist flexion, fixate the distal forearm and apply resistance on the palm of the hand.
For radial and medial deviation, the patient may make a fist.
- Radial Deviation: With one hand fixate the distal forearm and then apply resistance against movement of the wrist towards the thumb (radial deviation).
- Ulnar Deviation: With one hand fixate the distal forearm and then apply resistance against movement of the wrist towards the pinky (ulnar deviation).
Resisted Isometric Testing of the Hand & Fingers:
- Finger Flexion: A really functional way to conduct resisted isometric testing for finger flexion is to ask your patient to give you a firm handshake. If you want to get information on individual joints you can go ahead and give resistance to those
- Finger Extension: To assess extension, have your patient’s hand lie flat on the bench. Put your hand on the patient’s fingers, fixate with the other and then ask the patient to lift up your hand while you apply resistance to the fingers.
For resisted isometric testing of finger adduction and finger abduction, you can simply intertwine your fingers with those of the patient.
- Finger abduction: Ask your patient to squeeze the fingers while you give resistance.
- Finger abduction: Ask your patient to try to spread the fingers while you give resistance.
For resisted isometric testing of the thumb, fixate the hand including the scaphoid bone with one hand and make a fist around the patient’s thumb with your other hand.
- Thumb abduction: Resist the movement of the thumb perpendicular to the palm of the hand
- Thumb adduction: Resist the movement of the thumb toward the palm of the hand
- Thumb extension: Resist the movement of the thumb in the plane of the palm toward the radius
- Thumb flexion: Resist the movement of the thumb in the plane of the palm toward the ulna
Also check out our post on active range of motion assessment as well as passive range of motion assessment of the wrist and hand.
21 OF THE MOST USEFUL ORTHOPAEDIC TESTS IN CLINICAL PRACTICE
References
–
BUY THE FULL PHYSIOTUTORS ASSESSMENT BOOK
- 600+ Pages e-Book
- Interactive Content (Direct Video Demonstration, PubMed articles)
- Statistical Values for all Special Tests from the latest research
- Clinical Value Recommendation
- Detailed descriptions & searchable
- Currently on Version 6.0 – Free lifetime updates
- Available in 🇬🇧 🇩🇪 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 🇮🇹 🇵🇹 🇹🇷
- And much more!
ALL ORTHOPEDIC TESTS IN ONE PLACE
What customers have to say about the Assessment E-Book
- Vince199225/04/20The Assessment E-Book This book helped me in my studying for my exam and in assessing my first patients. Awesome! Also for beginners!Simon Pagitz06/04/20The Assessment E-Book It’s an amazing Compilation! Congrats to all the work you have put in there. You’ll propably find all the test’s you’ve been looking for with propper explaination and source to doublecheck for you self. definetly a must have for every student, but it will also help an experienced practioner. Im looking forward to the lifelong updates on the topics.
Great work, guys - Jordi Burrut27/10/19The Assessment E-Book A must-have for all physiotherapists, osteopaths and manual therapists. The authors conducted an extensive research on assessment tests in manual therapy. I find it very easy to read. The more I read the more I learn. Thank you!Josh07/07/19The Assessment E-Book This book is great! It is very structured and detailed. It works extremely well on my Macbook and iPad.
- Polo_soa15/02/19The Assessment E-Book The best way to spend 80euros. Totally worth it. The amount of work you put behind this must have been absolutely huge. Every physical or physiotherapist should own it.
Congrats guys you’ve done an incredible job.
I’ve learnd a lot of new things and my approach to therapy in general have totally changed.
In one word: amazing. Keep going guys ! Best wishes from france.