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Finger rolling is a variant in which the patient rotates just the index fingers.(2) It is even more sensitive than the forearm rolling test. In Video 2, a patient with MS has normal forearm rolling but posting of the left index finger with finger rolling. There was no weakness on formal strength testing. In the thumb rolling test, the patient rotates only the thumbs.(3)
Forearm rolling has a sensitivity of 17-87%, specificity of 97-98%, positive LR of 15.6 and negative LR of 0.6 in the detection of contralateral hemispheric disease.(4) Index finger rolling has a sensitivity of 33-42%, a specificity of 92-98%, positive LR of 6.0 and negative LR of 0.7 in the detection of contralateral hemispheric disease.(4) In a series of patients with mild hemiparesis, thumb rolling was more sensitive (88%) than pronator drift (47%), forearm rolling (65%) or index finger rolling (65%).22 Patients with bradykinesia or rigidity from extrapyramidal disease may also show decreased excursion of the affected limbs.
Some of the other subtle signs of hemiparesis include pronator drift and other pronator signs, the digiti quinti sign, loss of fine motor control and decreased dexterity (e.g., finger tapping, foot tapping), leg drift and decreased arm swing on walking.(5,6)
