Passive Shoulder Shrug Test

A special test for ruling out thoracic outlet syndrome

Authors

Affiliations

Nathaniel Yomogida, B.S., SPT

Doctor of Physical Therapy

B.S. in Kinesiology

Chloë Kerstein, B.S., SPT

Doctor of Physical Therapy

B.A. in Neuroscience

The Passive Shoulder Shrug test is a special test designed to rule out thoracic outlet syndrome in patients with symptoms consistent with TOS¹. The passive movement of this maneuver is designed to slacken the soft tissues/brachial plexus, which should relieve TOS symptoms¹.

Technique

Patient positioned seated with arms folded
Clinician stands behind patient
Clinician grasps patient’s elbows and passively elevates the shoulders superiorly and anteriorly
- Hold for 30 sec
Ask patient about changes in symptoms

Validity

No diagnostic accuracy studies have been performed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of this test

References

Dutton M. Dutton’s Orthopaedic Examination, Evaluation, and Intervention. 5th ed. McGraw Hill Education; 2020.

Citation

For attribution, please cite this work as:

Yomogida N, Kerstein C. Passive Shoulder Shrug Test. https://yomokerst.com/The Archive/Examination/Tests and Measures/Upper Extremity Tests/Thoracic outlet syndrome/tos_passive_shoulder_shrug_test.html