Manual Muscle Testing: Scapular Retraction/ Adduction

Muscles Involved:

• Trapezius (middle)
• Rhomboid major

Patient Positioning

• Patient is prone, head turned to non-test-side
• test-side arm shoulder at 90 degrees abduction and elbow in 90 degrees flexion
• For grades 0-2, gravity eliminated, the patient is seated with arm externally rotated (palm up) and arm supported on a flat surface such as a plinth

Joint start Position

• 90 degrees shoulder abduction

Therapist Position

• Stand at test side
• Palpate shoulder adductor muscles

To Test

• Patient to perform scapula adduction "lift tip of elbow towards the ceiling"
• For grades 4 to 5, provide resistance over distal humerus in the direction opposite to scapular adduction
• Note:as with all resisted testing of vertebroscapular muscles, the preferred resistance point is that which constitutes the longest lever as this more closely reflects the functional demands of the limb.