In anti-gravity MMT for shoulder flexion, which describes the test position and stabilization?

• A. Seated with the elbow flexed and the hand pronated; stabilization: weight of the trunk.
• B. Test position: sitting with the shoulder flexed to 90, palm down. Stabilization: clinician stabilizes the opposite scapula. Resistance: downward just proximal to the elbow.
• C. Sidelying with the upper extremity supported; stabilization: weight of the body against the table.
• D. Prone with the arm at 90 degrees of flexion; stabilization: scapula stabilized by the therapist.

Answer: (B)

In anti-gravity testing of shoulder flexion, you want the arm lifted into 90 degrees of forward flexion and held against gravity so the muscles that raise the arm work against that force, while the rest of the body is stabilized to prevent compensations. The setup described in the second option does exactly that: the patient sits with the shoulder flexed to 90 degrees and the hand in a pronated (palm down) position, so the anterior deltoid and related flexors must lift the arm against gravity. The clinician stabilizes the opposite scapula to keep the shoulder blades from moving and to prevent trunk or scapular compensations, ensuring the movement isolates the glenohumeral joint. Resistance is applied downward just proximal to the elbow, providing a clear, controlled counterforce near the limb’s midpoint to gauge strength without altering leverage or triggering unwanted substitutions. This combination of position, stabilization, and distal resistance best reflects the anti-gravity testing strategy for shoulder flexion.

The other setups either place the limb in a gravity-minimized position, use a non-ideal alignment for testing shoulder flexors, or rely on different stabilization that doesn’t isolate the glenohumeral motion in the same way.