Standing or sitting
For women, a gown over the non-examined side with the examined area exposed or a halter top is recommended.
For men, removal of the shirt is requested.
Anterior to the patient.
May I place my fingers on the inside of your upper arm? (or point to the demonstrated area).
Raise your arm in front of your body. Now hold in this position while I push on your arm.
In the region of the coracobrachialis, this muscle and the biceps brachii short head are difficult to distinguish. Guide the patient to flex the shoulder. Support the upper limb, so that the muscles relax. With the patientÃs shoulder relaxed, place your fingers on the area just below the anterior deltoid and in the axilla. Provide gradually increasing resistance by having the patient hold against a gradually increasing attempt to produce a push on the arm in the direction of shoulder extension and abduction to resist shoulder flexor and adductor effort. A visual that helps here is demonstrating and then asking the patient to imitate the raised upper limb postures of the Incredible Hulk when he is angry.
VH - Coracobrachialis.
VH - Short head of the biceps brachii in the proximal medial arm.
VH - Short head of the biceps brachii in the proximal medial arm.