Clinical test — professional use

Empty can (Jobe) test

Assess supraspinatus pain and/or weakness.

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AMBER — get assessed before starting rehab

Performed and interpreted by a trained clinician. Shown here so you can understand what an assessment involves—not for self-diagnosis.

Purpose	Assess supraspinatus pain and/or weakness.
Structures assessed	Supraspinatus
Equipment	None
Procedure	Patient's arms are raised to about 90° in the scapular plane with thumbs pointing down (or up in the "full can" variant). The examiner applies downward pressure while the patient resists.
Positive result	Pain and/or weakness compared with the other side.
Negative result	Strong and pain-free resistance.
Interpretation	Suggests supraspinatus involvement (tendinopathy or tear); weakness is more suggestive of tear than pain alone.
Limitations	Pain inhibition can mimic weakness Not specific for tear size Single tests should be combined with history and other tests No single test is definitive.
Similar findings in	Shoulder impingement (subacromial pain syndrome)Rotator cuff injury (tear / tendinopathy)Neck Nerve Pain
Diagnostic accuracy	Sensitivity, specificity and likelihood ratios will be shown once verified against the cited review(s). Values are never estimated.

Used for

Research

[External] Hegedus EJ, Goode AP, Cook CE, et al. Which physical examination tests provide clinicians with the most value when examining the shoulder? Update of a systematic review with meta-analysis of individual tests. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2012. find original ↗
[External] Hermans J, Luime JJ, Meuffels DE, et al. Does this patient with shoulder pain have rotator cuff disease? The Rational Clinical Examination systematic review. JAMA, 2013. find original ↗