How is it Diagnosed?
Diagnosis of supraspinatus tendinopathy relies on 2 methods of approach;
(1) Physical examination by a clinician
(2) Imaging of the shoulder joint and tendon via specialised machines
Additional information for your benefit:
Your first session with a treating practitioner should include an interview period. The details of your current complaint/injury and your past history of health, injury and activity are important details that are required to formulate a diagnosis. It is important that you come prepared to answer questions and try to report every detail you can think of. This information will assist the physiotherapist to exclude other suspected disorders and give you the most accurate diagnosis as early as possible.
(1) A physical assessment by your treating physician/physiotherapist may include:
- Feeling by hand for any changes in the body tissues
- For locating structures in and around the shoulder joint including the supraspinatus tendon
- For locating areas of pain upon touch
(b) Range of motion testing
- Measuring how much arm and shoulder movement is able to be performed in different directions
- Looking for any limitations in range of movement and whether it is limited by pain or stiffness or internal body structures such as abnormal bone and muscle.
- Looking for any pain production throughout the movement
- Looking for reproduction of any symptomatic complaints
- Special attention is paid to movements of
(1) Abduction (moving arm out to the side away from the body)
(2)
(3) External Rotation ( Rotating the upper arm away from the body in a clockwise direction)
(4) Internal Rotation ( Rotating the upper arm towards the body in an anti- clockwise direction)
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(c) Manual muscle testing
Measures the strength of the supraspinatus muscle
- The muscle is attached to the supraspinatus tendon and they act together as a unit to perform the arm movements described above.
- When the tendon is affected by a disorder (opathy), this functional unit is affected and it cannot perform to its maximal potential, therefore muscle weakness may be detected.
- Contracting the damaged tendon-muscle unit may also provoke the onset of pain to assist in developing a diagnosis
These are dedicated movement tests that attempt to isolate the ‘suspected’ tissues involved and confirm an abnormality and/or the source of pain.
(See 'Special Test' Tab)
