Laxity Testing of the Shoulder: A Review

Laxity testing is an important part of the examination of any joint. In the shoulder, it presents unique challenges because of the complexity of the interactions of the glenohumeral and scapulothoracic joints. Many practitioners believe that laxity testing of the shoulder is difficult, and they are...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of sports medicine 2007-01, Vol.35 (1), p.131-144
Main Authors: Bahk, Michael, Keyurapan, Ekavit, Tasaki, Atsushi, Sauers, Eric L., McFarland, Edward G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Biomechanical Phenomena
Care and treatment
Diagnosis
Diseases of the osteoarticular system
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Health aspects
Humans
Joint Instability - diagnosis
Joint Instability - physiopathology
Medical sciences
Medical tests
Miscellaneous. Osteoarticular involvement in other diseases
Physical Examination
Range of Motion, Articular - physiology
Risk factors
Shoulder
Shoulder injuries
Shoulder Joint - physiopathology
Sport (general aspects)
Sports injuries
Sports medicine
Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents
Vertebrates: body movement. Posture. Locomotion. Flight. Swimming. Physical exercise. Rest. Sports
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Summary:Laxity testing is an important part of the examination of any joint. In the shoulder, it presents unique challenges because of the complexity of the interactions of the glenohumeral and scapulothoracic joints. Many practitioners believe that laxity testing of the shoulder is difficult, and they are unclear about its role in evaluation of patients. The objectives of the various laxity and instability tests differ, but the clinical signs of such tests can provide helpful information about joint stability. This article summarizes the principles of shoulder laxity testing, reviews techniques for measuring shoulder laxity, and evaluates the clinical usefulness of the shoulder laxity tests. Shoulder laxity evaluation can be a valuable element of the shoulder examination in patients with shoulder pain and instability.
ISSN:0363-5465
1552-3365
DOI:10.1177/0363546506294570