The Manual Tests that can Elicit the Strongest Responses from the Palmaris Longus Muscle

Abstract

The relative effectiveness's of the individual ten tests of the palmaris longus muscle (PLM) have not been compared. The main aim of the study is to determine the most effective tests, that will recruit the PLM the most, and to motivate and encourage clinicians and researchers to use them. The electromyographic (EMG) activity of the PLM was recorded during each of the ten tests on 30 arms, to find the tests that recruited the PLM the most. In addition, the consistencies of the ten tests in producing the same surface anatomical prominences were observed on an additional 80 arms. The surface anatomical prominences were classified into six patterns. Only two of the ten tests, the Gangata Test and the Resisted Wrist-Flexion Test, performed satisfactorily on the EMG and the Classification kappa agreement test. The simultaneous use of the Resisted Wrist Flexion Test and the Gangata Test is being recommended for clinical and research purposes of the PLM. The classification system should improve the quality of the clinical assessments of the PLM.