What is the primary position of a patient during the resisted horizontal extension test?

The primary position of a patient during the resisted horizontal extension test is sitting with the shoulder in 90 degrees of flexion. In this position, the patient’s arm is elevated in front of them, which allows for proper assessment of the posterior shoulder muscles, particularly the posterior deltoid and teres major.

When the shoulder is flexed to 90 degrees, it maximizes the ability to isolate and evaluate the strength and function of these specific muscle groups during horizontal extension against resistance. This position leverages both the gravitational effects and the muscular dynamics required for effective testing, ensuring that the test is both reliable and valid for assessing any potential deficits in strength or function of the posterior shoulder.

The other positions, such as seated with shoulder in 90 degrees of abduction, standing with the arm at the side, or supine with the shoulder in external rotation, do not provide the same level of isolation for the target muscles involved in horizontal extension, which can lead to inaccuracies in assessment.