Shoulder pain is a common reason for physician visits. Considering that shoulder problems can be caused by a number of conditions, careful and in-depth examination of the joints of the shoulder girdle is required. Clinical examination is often fundamental to and, sometimes, is sufficient for the diagnosis. Hence, the physician should be skilled in the clinical examination of joints, which includes palpation and special tests. The paper briefly reviews shoulder girdle anatomy and the causes of shoulder pain. Shoulder pain can be a result of the disorders of the shoulder joint itself, periarticular tissues, adjacent anatomic regions, and internal diseases as well. Therefore, differential diagnosis of these conditions is of special importance. Detailed algorithm of the examination of the shoulder joint which includes questioning, palpation, assessment of range of motions, special clinical tests, and interpretation of the findings is described. The paper discusses the rules of special clinical test performance and the role of these tests in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of shoulder problems.

Keywords: anatomy, shoulder joint, periarticular tissues, algorithm of clinical examination, clinical tests.

For citation: Imametdinova G.R. Algorithm of clinical examination of the joints of the upper limb (shoulder joint) // RMJ. Rheumatology. 2016. № 2. P. 59–64.