Which tests are listed as SLAP special tests?

Which tests are listed as SLAP special tests?

• A. Passive distraction test + active compression test.
• B. Hawkins-Kennedy test.
• C. Neer impingement test.
• D. O'Brien's test.

Answer: (A)

Testing for SLAP lesions uses provocative maneuvers that specifically load the superior labrum. The passive distraction test applies a traction to separate the humeral head from the glenoid, which can reproduce pain when the labrum is torn. The active compression test, known clinically as the O'Brien test, has the arm flexed and adducted with the forearm pronated while a downward load is applied; if pain is elicited in this position and diminishes when the elbow is supinated or the shoulder is externally rotated, it points toward a SLAP tear rather than issues like AC joint pathology. The Hawkins-Kennedy and Neer tests probe subacromial impingement, not the labral tissue, so they aren’t considered SLAP-specific tests.

Testing for SLAP lesions uses provocative maneuvers that specifically load the superior labrum. The passive distraction test applies a traction to separate the humeral head from the glenoid, which can reproduce pain when the labrum is torn. The active compression test, known clinically as the O'Brien test, has the arm flexed and adducted with the forearm pronated while a downward load is applied; if pain is elicited in this position and diminishes when the elbow is supinated or the shoulder is externally rotated, it points toward a SLAP tear rather than issues like AC joint pathology. The Hawkins-Kennedy and Neer tests probe subacromial impingement, not the labral tissue, so they aren’t considered SLAP-specific tests.