The elbow extension test is simple test that can be administered as part of the physical exam to help guide healthcare providers diagnosis and management of acute elbow fractures.
The patient is asked to flex the shoulder to ninety degrees.
If the patient is unable to extend the dysfunctional arm then a further workup including radiography for acute fracture should be pursued.
[1] The "Elbow Extension Test", published in the British Medical Journal in December 2008, had a negative predictive value for fracture in 98% of adults and 96% of children in a study done in five separate Emergency Departments in England.
It is up to the clinician and patient’s discretion to decide if more testing is warranted or if a three- to seven-day follow-up appointment or phone consultation to re-evaluate symptoms is sufficient.