Palpate muscles at the anatomical location with the patient positioned to maximally expose the structure.

Muscles are soft and pliable when relaxed. A muscle is normally soft, compressible, and consistent in texture, when at rest. Muscle becomes firm and may bulge with muscle activation. With movement or changed posture causing alternating muscle relaxation and activation, the softness and firmness alternate.

However, a swollen or injured muscle can appear to be firm and bulging.

Procedure for palpation of muscles:

• Start with the muscle starting at rest.
  
• Guide the patient/client to activate the muscle.
  
• Inactivate any muscles superficial to the muscle being palpated.
• Use the most minimal patient effort possible. Excessive effort activates many muscles, which makes palpation more difficult.
  
• Ask the patient to hold while you impose a resisting force. This prevents overexertion by the patient and allows you to impose just enough resisting force. Instructions that are recommended:
  
  • "hold and do not let me move you"
  • You may have to repeat a sequence of hold, now relax, now hold again… gradually increase and release the resisting force. Alert the patient as to what you are planning to do.

Sample of sequential questioning to prepare you, the examiner, for palpation of the Biceps Brachii muscle:

• What is the muscle I want to palpate? - Biceps Brachii
  
• What does the muscle do? - Both heads flex the elbow, supinate the radioulnar joints, and flex the shoulder.
  
• What type of resistance does the examiner need to provide? - The examiner needs to produce some moment or torque or combination of moments or torques that extend the elbow, pronate the radioulnar joints, and/or extend the shoulder, i.e. tend to move the joints in the opposite directions as the muscle acts.
• Are any muscles superficial to this muscle? - No
  
• What patient/client positions are possible if positioning
  or stabilization is a problem? - The patient/client can sit, stand, or lie supine for this palpation.
  
• Is there another way besides palpation to verify the muscle activity? - Electromyography or guide the patient/client to activate the muscle and sense the fatigue that occurs in the targeted muscle.