History Taking and Clinical Assessment of the Shoulder

Abstract

A reproducible and accurate assessment of the shoulder is important before contemplating investigations and a treatment plan. In this chapter, we are describing our way of assessing the patient who presents with shoulder related symptoms. This chapter will include important history taking points and examining the shoulder. This is however not an exhaustive chapter on all the possible special tests, which can be used when performing a clinical assessment. We will explain our system and thought processes and provide reasoning for our methods and the tests we have chosen.