How to examine the shoulder
Other platforms explain it with text and video. In VMS you practice it on the patient.
Shoulder pain is usually the rotator cuff, but the neck can send pain there too. A structured exam tells them apart.
Step by step
Prepare
Introduce yourself, get consent and expose both shoulders. [1]
Look
From the front, side and back: asymmetry, swelling, muscle wasting above or below the shoulder blade, and winging of the scapula. [2]
Feel
Sternoclavicular joint, collarbone, acromioclavicular joint, front of the shoulder and the shoulder blade. [2]
Range of motion
Forward lift, backward reach, arm out to the side, and rotation in and out, active then passive. [1]
Painful arc
Pain between about 60 and 120 degrees while raising the arm to the side points to the rotator cuff. [2]
Rotator cuff strength
Empty can (supraspinatus), external rotation against resistance (infraspinatus and teres minor), lift-off or belly press (subscapularis). [2]
Impingement tests
Neer and Hawkins-Kennedy: pain suggests impingement. [2]
Finish
Check the neck, pulses and sensation in the arm, and explain the findings. [1]
Common errors
- Not looking at the back of the shoulder.
- Skipping the neck exam.
- Testing strength through severe pain.
Practice it in VMS
In VMS you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.
VMS cases that train this skill
Sources
Facts and steps follow NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint; Stanford Medicine 25 (bedside exam). VMS is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.