Background: Clinical testing is essential in establishing the etiology of non-traumatic Rotator Cuff Related Shoulder Pain.

Study aims: To assess the Sensitivity and Specificity of the Painful Arc test, the Neer test, the Hawkins-Kennedy test, the Jobe or Empty Can test and the Cross-Body-Adduction test in different pathologies of non-traumatic Rotator Cuff Related Shoulder Pain such as bursitis, cuff tendinopathy and cuff tear.

Study design: Cross sectional cohort study.

Materials and methods: Fifty-five subjects with shoulder pain for more than 12 weeks without preceding shoulder trauma underwent clinical investigation, diagnostic ultrasound and indirect MRI arthrography scan.

Results: The Sensitivity of the shoulder tests ranges from 50% to 90% in a subacromial bursitis, from 56% to 89% in a cuff tendinopathy and from 56% to 72% in a cuff tear. The Specificity of the shoulder tests ranges from 18% to 44% in a subacromial bursitis, from 25% to 46% in a cuff tendinopathy and from 14% to 46% in a cuff tear.

Conclusion: The diagnostic accuracy of these five clinical tests is limited for distinguishing bursitis, cuff tendinopathy and cuff tear as etiology of non-traumatic Rotator Cuff Related Shoulder Pain. Optimal diagnosis requires integration of the patient history, the physical examination and the findings of radiological imaging.

Clinical shoulder testing, Non traumatic cuff pathology, Validity, Sensitivity, Specificity, Accuracy