The Shoulder

Technique:

• The patient lies supine, with the arm abducted to 90° and the elbow flexed to a right angle.
• The examiner places the contralateral hand under the glenohumeral joint.
• The shoulder is then brought very gently in medial rotation - If the test is done doo quickly, the humerus might subluxate.
• A positive test for posterior instability is indicated by a feeling of apprehension and the patient's resistance to further motion. The patient may also state that the feeling at the end of the test is what it felt when the shoulder was previously dislocated.

Meaning

Pain and / or 'apprehension' indicate a posterior instability of the shoulder.