Shoulder Examination,tests. - Everything You Need To Know - Dr. Nabil Ebraheim

Dr. Ebraheim’s educational animated video describes 4 classic clinical tests used to diagnose injuries associated with the shoulder.
Speed Test, Slap Test, Empty Can Test, Jerk Test.

Treatment of shoulder injuries should include an assessment of strength, range of motion, impingement, and instability. Sometimes unusual or odd names are attached to some shoulder clinical tests. Four examples of these tests will be described here.
To test for biceps tendonitis, physicians will use the Speed Test. During the Speed test, the patient is asked to actively forward flex the shoulder while the examiner is applying resistance to the movement. Tenderness over the bicipital groove indicates tendonitis of the long head of the biceps.
The SLAP test, or O’brien’s test, is used to diagnose SLAP tears. The patient’s arm is at 90° of flexion, 10° of adduction, and full internal rotation with the forearm pronated. The examiner applies pressure to the forearm and instructs the patient to resist the downward force being applied. Pain at the shoulder joint indicates a SLAP lesion. A decrease in pain of the shoulder joint on supination of the arm is consistent with a SLAP lesion.
The Empty Can Test is used in subacromial impingement and cuff pathology. The arm should be anteriorly flexed at the level of the shoulder. The patient should fully pronate the arm into the “empty can position”. The patient should resist the downward force being applied on the forearm by the examiner. Pain or weakness indicates a supraspinatus tendon lesion.
The Jerk Test is used to test the instability of the glenohumeral joint and posterior labrum. The pateint’s arm is abducted to 90° and internally rotated. The examiner axially loads the humerus while the arm is moved horizontally across the body. A positive test is indicated by sharp pain in the shoulder with or without a clicking sound.