Belly Press Test
Other Names
- Modified Belly Press Test
- Belly press test modified
- Napoleon Sign
Purpose
- Evaluate Subscapularis as a cause of shoulder pain
Description
- Patient is seated or standing
- Patient presses abdomen with palm of hand, maintaining shoulder in internal rotation.
- Positive test:
- Pain suggests tendinopathy
- Elbow drops back (does not remain in front of trunk) suggests complete tear
Modified Version
- In the modified version, examiner measures the final belly press angle of the wrist with a goniometer
- Positive test
- Belly-press angle difference of 10° between affected and unaffected side.
Pathology
Evidence
- Kappe et al[5]
- Sensitivity: 34%
- Specificity: 96%
- PPV: 0.79
- NPV: 0.77
- Diagnostic Accuracy: 0.77
Subscapularis Lesion
- Bartsch et al[6]
- Sensitivity: 80%
- Specificity: 88%
- PPV: 75%
- NPV: 91%
- Diagnostic Accuracy: 86%
See Also
References
- ↑ Itoi, Eiji. "Rotator cuff tear: physical examination and conservative treatment." Journal of Orthopaedic Science 18.2 (2013): 197-204.
- ↑ Phillips, Nick. "Tests for diagnosing subacromial impingement syndrome and rotator cuff disease." Shoulder & elbow 6.3 (2014): 215-221.
- ↑ Faruqui, Sami, Coen Wijdicks, and Abdullah Foad. "Sensitivity of physical examination versus arthroscopy in diagnosing subscapularis tendon injury." Orthopedics 37.1 (2014): e29-e33.
- ↑ Myer, Cortney A., et al. "A user's guide to performance of the best shoulder physical examination tests." British Journal of Sports Medicine 47.14 (2013): 903-907.
- ↑ Kappe, Thomas, et al. "Diagnostic performance of clinical tests for subscapularis tendon tears." Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy 26.1 (2018): 176-181.
- ↑ Bartsch, Martin, et al. "Diagnostic values of clinical tests for subscapularis lesions." Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy 18.12 (2010): 1712-1717.
Created by:
John Kiel on 17 January 2020 10:50:52
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Last edited:
20 January 2026 13:44:28
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