In MMT for scapular adduction in gravity-minimized conditions, what is the test position?

• A. Sitting with arm resting on a table with the shoulder abducted to 90 and the elbow flexed to 90
• B. Prone with arm by side
• C. Supine with arm on table
• D. Standing with arm forward

Answer: (A)

In gravity-minimized testing for scapular adduction (retraction), you want the weight of the arm not to influence the movement, so the scapular retractors can act isometrically to hold the scapula against protraction. Positioning the patient seated with the arm supported on a table, and the shoulder in 90 degrees of abduction with the elbow at 90 degrees of flexion, places the scapula in a favorable plane for the rhomboids and middle trapezius to retract the medial border toward the spine without the arm’s weight driving the motion. This setup isolates the muscles responsible for adduction and minimizes gravity’s effect, making it easier to assess true strength.

Other positions either change the line of pull and muscle recruitment or let gravity assist or resist in ways that don’t isolate the scapular retractors, so they’re less suitable for a gravity-minimized assessment.