Recommendations for

SHOULDER SPECIAL TESTS

AND THE ROTATOR CUFF
Based on Physio Edge podcast 67 with Dr Chris Littlewood @PhysioChris

Assessment & treatment

Examination
a. Identify a specific task or movement
that reproduces patient symptoms,
and can be used as a baseline test or
starting point for the examination
Exercises
a. Exercises that work into pain demonstrate
superior short term outcomes for chronic
pain over pain free exercises
(Smith et al. 2017)
b. Test exercise capacity in the clinical setting

b. Shoulder lateral rotation less than c. Retrain the patient in the most painful zone

d.
45 degrees or 50% of the opposite Prescribe exercises
side is classified as a stiff shoulder that produce
acceptable levels of
pain for the patient at
the time of exercise,
after the exercise and
24 hours later
ER
e. Provide the patient with progressions
and regression of exercise

c. Perform resisted
testing in functional
positions of symptoms
such as tennis serve
or changing gear.
PUSH
If symptoms are
reproduced a
diagnosis of rotator
cuff tendinopathy is
made.

d. Up to 20% of patients with primary shoulder pain may have cervical spine involvement.
In these patients treatment should initially focus on the cervical spine.
BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
References
Smith et al. 2017. Shoulder exercises be painful in the management of
clinicaledge.co @davidkpope chronic musculoskeletal pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis