APPREHENSION TEST (POSTERIOR)

​• ​Test positioning

The client lies supine on a table.

The therapist grasps the client's elbow with one hand and stabilizes the ipsilateral and involved shoulder with the other hand.

​• ​Action

The therapist places the client's involved shoulder in a position of 90-degrees of flexion and internal rotation while applying a posterior force through the long axis of the humerus.

​• ​Positive finding

A positive finding for this test can be interpreted if the client looks apprehensive or expresses feelings of apprehension toward further movement in the posterior direction.

This test is used to mimic the positioning and movement of a posterior dislocation of the glenohumeral joint, thus recreating a client's episode of instability.

​• Special considerations & comments

Simple indication or reporting of apprehension to a movement does not necessarily indicate a dislocation of the glenohumeral joint.

The Posterior Apprehension Test draws on the principles set forth by Dr. James Cyriax and Dr. Don O'Donoghue, whose work in orthopedic medicine has been crucial to the development and standardization of shoulder assessment techniques.