The Shoulder

Preliminary examination

The passive examination of the elbow is positive

A lesion at the elbow seldom gives rise to pain radiating down the arm, the pain being usually quite accurately located at the elbow itself.

There are, however, exceptions and it may be that elbow pain is merely experienced as arm pain. In this situation, the examiner of course thinks in the first place of a lesion of the shoulder. It is then only after the performance of the preliminary examination of the shoulder that the source of the pain becomes obvious.

The preliminary examination quickly points to the elbow as the source of the pain as soon as passive flexion and extension prove to be painful and/ or limited.

Or the examination of the resisted movements of the arm gives a positive (painful) response.

All these findings must lead to thorough clinical examination of the elbow.