Trokos

Special tests library › Quizzes › Elbow & forearm

Elbow and forearm special tests quiz

Questions use only the figures on this library's test pages.

Last updated 30 October 2026. 8 questions. Each answer links to the test page it comes from; the region's tests are listed on the Elbow & forearm cheat sheet.

Terms such as sensitivity, specificity, LR+ and LR− are explained in the glossary. A likelihood ratio above about 5 or below about 0.2 is doing real work; between 2 and 0.5 it is barely worth the time.

Question 1 of 8

Which of these elbow tests does most to rule in the condition it tests for, when the result is positive?

  1. Elbow extension test — for any elbow fracture after injury
  2. Milking manoeuvre — for UCL injury
  3. Hook test — for complete distal biceps tendon rupture
  4. Biceps crease interval (BCI) — for complete distal biceps tendon rupture
Show the answer

Answer: C. Hook test — for complete distal biceps tendon rupture. Hook test has the highest LR+, 15.71, for complete distal biceps tendon rupture. The others: Biceps crease interval (BCI) 8.9, Milking manoeuvre 5.1, Elbow extension test 1.88. See the test

Question 2 of 8

Which of these elbow tests does most to rule out the condition it tests for, when the result is negative?

  1. Elbow extension test — for any elbow fracture after injury
  2. Elbow flexion–compression test — for cubital tunnel syndrome
  3. Hook test — for complete distal biceps tendon rupture
  4. Tinel's sign (at the elbow) — for cubital tunnel syndrome
Show the answer

Answer: A. Elbow extension test — for any elbow fracture after injury. Elbow extension test has the lowest LR−, 0.06, for any elbow fracture after injury. The others: Hook test 0.3, Tinel's sign (at the elbow) 0.72, Elbow flexion–compression test 0.99. For complete distal biceps tendon rupture, the biceps crease interval has an LR− of 0.21, which its page calls a small shift. See the test

Question 3 of 8

How far does a positive elbow flexion–compression test move the probability of cubital tunnel syndrome?

  1. Up clearly: it is doing real work (LR+ above about 5)
  2. Up a little: a small shift (LR+ between about 2 and 5)
  3. Barely: it is barely worth the time (LR+ below about 2)
  4. Down: a positive result makes it less likely
Show the answer

Answer: C. Barely: it is barely worth the time (LR+ below about 2). Elbow flexion–compression test: LR+ 1. Its page: “barely informative: a positive result changes little.” See the test

Question 4 of 8

How far does a positive biceps crease interval move the probability of complete distal biceps tendon rupture?

  1. Up clearly: it is doing real work (LR+ above about 5)
  2. Up a little: a small shift (LR+ between about 2 and 5)
  3. Barely: it is barely worth the time (LR+ below about 2)
  4. Down: a positive result makes it less likely
Show the answer

Answer: A. Up clearly: it is doing real work (LR+ above about 5). Biceps crease interval (BCI): LR+ 8.9. Its page: “a moderate rule-in: a positive result makes the diagnosis clearly more likely.” See the test

Question 5 of 8

What counts as a positive hook test?

  1. No cord-like tendon can be hooked.
  2. Inability to extend the injured elbow fully.
  3. Reproduction of familiar medial pain.
  4. A distance greater than 6 cm, suggesting retraction of the muscle after a complete tear. (A ratio above 1.2 relative to the other side gave the same result in every patient in the study.)
Show the answer

Answer: A. No cord-like tendon can be hooked. The Hook test page: “No cord-like tendon can be hooked.” See the test

Question 6 of 8

What counts as a positive elbow extension test?

  1. Reproduction of the familiar medial pain, worst between about 120° and 70° of flexion.
  2. Apprehension, reluctance or the feeling of instability, often with the palms turning inward to avoid it.
  3. Inability to extend the injured elbow fully.
  4. Tingling into the ring and little fingers.
Show the answer

Answer: C. Inability to extend the injured elbow fully. The Elbow extension test page: “Inability to extend the injured elbow fully.” See the test

Question 7 of 8

Starting at 30% for complete distal biceps tendon rupture, what is the probability after a positive hook test?

  1. 87%
  2. 11%
  3. 69%
  4. 79%
Show the answer

Answer: A. 87%. From the ladder on the Hook test page: a starting 30% becomes 87% after a positive (LR+ 15.71: a strong rule-in). See the test

Question 8 of 8

Starting at 30% for any elbow fracture after injury, what is the probability after a positive elbow extension test?

  1. 45%
  2. 30%
  3. 3%
  4. 63%
Show the answer

Answer: A. 45%. From the ladder on the Elbow extension test page: a starting 30% becomes 45% after a positive (LR+ 1.88: barely informative). See the test

Other quizzes: Shoulder · Knee · Neck · Low back & pelvis · Hip, groin & thigh · Foot, ankle & calf · Wrist & hand. How the figures are chosen: Methods.

Get the book for deciding which elbows need an X-ray after a fall, and whether the distal biceps is torn

These pages give the published figures. Rule It In, Rule It Out adds, for the tests in the chapter ‘The elbow’: how to do each one, what counts as positive, how to read the result, and, where studied, whether combining tests helps.

Coming November 2026: 330 pages, paperback and PDF. Launch offer: subscribers get the PDF for A$39 instead of A$49, for the first two weeks after publication. Be first to know at launch

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.

Free when you confirm your email: a one-page PDF of the strongest special tests to rule in and rule out, with tests that carry a caution flagged separately.

Launch offer for subscribers: the PDF edition of Rule It In, Rule It Out for A$39 instead of A$49, for the first two weeks after publication. Sign up free to get the code on launch day.