title: The bow test for the subacromial impingement syndrome.
abstract: Because of the biomechanics of the glenohumeral joint, impairment of rotator cuff function leads to cranial migration of the humeral head, impinging the greater tubercle against the coraco-acromial arch and irritating the subacromial bursa. When bursal irritation has become established, active elevation of the arm against gravity will cause pain within an arc of motion. When a patient with a painful arc is asked to bend forward and let the arm hang, the same arc will become painless. This noninvasive clinical test called the "bow test" is a simple means by which subacromial impingement can be clinically identified as the source of pain in the painful arc of shoulder motion.
authors.affiliation: From the University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kölbel