A positive painful arc test and a positive external rotation resistance test in a patient with shoulder pain has a high likelihood of being rotator cuff disease (RCD). And a positive lag test (external or internal rotation) likely means a full-thickness rotator cuff tear.
That’s according to a meta-analytic review of relevant studies. Dr. Job Hermans from Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands and colleagues say they did the analysis to identify the most accurate clinical examination findings for RCD.