The primary purpose of the biceps tension test is to assess long head of biceps tendon irritation or instability.

• A. To examine AC joint stability
• B. To evaluate triceps tendon integrity
• C. To assess deltoid muscle strength
• D. To assess long head of biceps tendon irritation or instability

Answer: (D)

The test loads the long head of the biceps tendon to detect irritation or instability. The long head runs through the shoulder joint and into the bicipital groove, so applying tension along that tendon can reproduce pain or a sense of instability when the tendon is inflamed or subluxing. A positive result points to pathology in the biceps tendon itself, helping distinguish it from issues in other structures. This is different from tests that assess the AC joint, the triceps tendon, or the deltoid muscle, which would tense or probe those other tissues rather than specifically stressing the long head of the biceps tendon.