Test library › Elbow & forearm
Mills' test
For: Lateral elbow tendinopathy
Painful overload of the wrist extensor tendons where they attach to the outside of the elbow. Also called tennis elbow.
Treat with caution (see below)Caution: Specificity rests on only 4 people without the condition; the true figure could be much lower.
What the numbers mean
- Positive result: no false positives were seen in the study, so no likelihood ratio can be calculated. How far to trust that depends on how many people without the condition were studied; see the caution above.
- Negative result: a small shift: a negative result nudges the diagnosis down, but does not exclude it.
Source
Saroja G, Aseer PA, Venkata Sai P M. Diagnostic Accuracy of Provocative Tests in Lateral Epicondylitis. Int J Physiother Res. 2014;2(6):815–823. Journal article (PDF) · single study
Figures as they will appear in Rule It In, Rule It Out (Trokos, forthcoming). If a newer or better study changes them, this page changes with the book. Figures last updated from the book on 2 October 2026.
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This page gives the published figures. Rule It In, Rule It Out adds how to do this test, what counts as positive, how to read the result, and, where studied, whether combining it with other tests helps.
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One study, one test, once a month
Rule It In is a free evidence letter for musculoskeletal clinicians: one recent study explained, one examination test with its real numbers. From Trokos, publisher of Rule It In, Rule It Out.