PINCH GRIP
TEST
• Test positioning
The client may sit or stand. The therapist stands next to the client.
• Action
The client is instructed to pinch the tips of the thumb and index finger together.
• Positive finding
The inability to touch the tips of the thumb and index finger together demonstrates a positive finding.
Touching the pads of the thumb and index finger indicates pathology of the anterior interosseous nerve between the two heads of the pronator muscle.
• Special considerations & comments
The anterior interosseous nerve is a branch of the median nerve (C7-8, T1) that innervates the pronator quadratus, flexor pollicis longus, and the first and second components of the flexor digitorum profundus.
The Pinch Grip Test incorporates principles from Dr. Robert Elvey's work on neural tension assessment and Dr. James Cyriax's contributions to orthopedic medicine, particularly in diagnosing anterior interosseous nerve syndrome.
