Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-x4r87 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T11:17:46.937Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 2 - Examination of the Shoulder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 April 2022

By
Shantanu Shahane  and
David Limb
Edited by
Fazal Ali  and
Nick Harris
Fazal Ali
Affiliation:
Chesterfield Royal Hospital
Nick Harris
Affiliation:
Spire Hospital, Leeds
Get access

Summary

The system of shoulder examination described in this chapter is as follows: Stand the patient and look, then feel, then move. Following this, examine the rotator cuff, perform impingement tests, then instability tests. In this chapter, examination of the acromioclavicular joint and examination of other muscles around the shoulder girdle such as pectoralis major are described. At the end of the chapter, in the ‘Advanced Corner’, other special tests are also described such as the bear-hug test for subscapularis tears and the upper cut test for biceps tendinitis.

Keywords

rotator cuffimpingementinstabilitybiceps tendonacromioclavicular jointSLAPshoulder
Type
Chapter
Information
Orthopaedic Examination Techniques
A Practical Guide
 , pp. 13 - 34
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Silliman, JF, Hawkins, RJ. Classification and physical diagnosis of instability of the shoulder. Clin Orthop 1993;291:7–19.Google Scholar
Lewis, A, Kitamura, T, Bayley, JIL. The classification of shoulder instability: new light through old windows! Curr Orthop 2004;18(2):97–108.Google Scholar
Jobe, FW, Moynes, DR. Delineation of diagnostic criteria and a rehabilitation program for rotator cuff injuries. Am J Sports Med 1982;10:336–339.Google Scholar
Itoi, E, Kido, T, Sano, A, Masakazu, U, Sato, K. Which is the more useful, the ‘full can test’ or the ‘empty can test’, in detecting the torn supraspinatus tendon? Am J Sports Med 1999;27(1):65–68.Google Scholar
Bigliani, LU, Cordasco, FA, Mcllveen, SJ, Musso, ES. Operative treatment of massive rotator cuff tears: long term results. J Shoulder Elbow Surg 1992;1:120–130.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hertel, R, Ballmer, FT, Lambert, SM, Gerber, C. Lag signs in the diagnosis of rotator cuff rupture. J Shoulder Elbow Surg 1996;5(4):307–313.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kelly, BT, Kadrmas, WR, Speer, KP. The manual muscle examination for rotator cuff strength: an electromyographic investigation. Am J Sports Med 1996;24:581–588.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Neer, CS II, Welsh, PR. The shoulder in sports. Orthop Clin North Am 1977;8:583–591.Google Scholar
Hawkins, RJ, Kennedy, JC. Impingement syndromes in athletes. Am J Sports Med 1980;8:151–157.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hegedus, EJ, Goode, A, Campbell, S, et al. Physical examination tests of the shoulder: a systematic review with meta-analysis of individual tests. Br J Sports Med 2008;42:80–92.Google Scholar
Yergason, RM. Supination sign. J Bone Joint Surg Br 1931;13:160.Google Scholar
Barth, JR, Burkhart, SS, De Beer, JF. The bear-hug test: a new and sensitive test for diagnosing a subscapularis tear. Arthroscopy 2006;22(10):1076–1084.Google Scholar
Cardoso, A, Amaro, P, Barbosa, L, et al. Diagnostic accuracy of clinical tests directed to the long head of biceps tendon in a surgical population: a combination of old and new tests. J Shoulder Elbow Surg 2019;28(12):2272–2278.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jain, NB, Luz, J, Higgins, LD et al. The diagnostic accuracy of special tests for rotator cuff tear: the ROW Cohort Study. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2017;96(3):176–183.Google Scholar
Stetson, WB, Templin, K. The crank test, the O’Brien test and routine magnetic resonance imaging scans in the diagnosis of labral tears. Am J Sports Med 2002;30(6):806–809.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reider, B. The Orthopaedic Physical Examination, 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier Saunders, 2005.Google Scholar
Gagey, OJ, Gagey, N. Assessment of the laxity of the inferior glenohumeral ligament. J Bone Joint Surg Br 2001;83-B:69–74.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×