Which statement correctly describes the Empty Can Test (Jobe test) for rotator cuff integrity and what a positive result indicates?

Which statement correctly describes the Empty Can Test (Jobe test) for rotator cuff integrity and what a positive result indicates?

• A. Hawkins-Kennedy test assesses supraspinatus.
• B. Drop-arm test assesses subscapularis.
• C. Empty Can Test assesses supraspinatus; weakness or pain indicates possible tear or impingement.
• D. Neer test assesses subacromial impingement.

Answer: (C)

The main idea is isolating the supraspinatus part of the rotator cuff and seeing how it responds to a resisted effort. In the Empty Can Test, the arm is raised about 90 degrees in the scapular plane with the arm internally rotated (thumbs pointing downward), and the patient tries to resist downward pressure. If the supraspinatus tendon is irritated, torn, or compressed (impinged) under the acromion, the patient typically feels pain and/or cannot hold the position, producing weakness during the resisted action. That combination—pain or weakness specifically when testing the supraspinatus in this position—points toward supraspinatus pathology, such as tendinopathy, a tear, or impingement involving that tendon. Other tests mentioned serve different roles: Hawkins-Kennedy and Neer are broader tests for subacromial impingement in general, not isolated to the supraspinatus, and the drop-arm test specifically targets a supraspinatus tear during arm lowering rather than the isolated resisted contraction used in this test.

The main idea is isolating the supraspinatus part of the rotator cuff and seeing how it responds to a resisted effort. In the Empty Can Test, the arm is raised about 90 degrees in the scapular plane with the arm internally rotated (thumbs pointing downward), and the patient tries to resist downward pressure. If the supraspinatus tendon is irritated, torn, or compressed (impinged) under the acromion, the patient typically feels pain and/or cannot hold the position, producing weakness during the resisted action. That combination—pain or weakness specifically when testing the supraspinatus in this position—points toward supraspinatus pathology, such as tendinopathy, a tear, or impingement involving that tendon.

Other tests mentioned serve different roles: Hawkins-Kennedy and Neer are broader tests for subacromial impingement in general, not isolated to the supraspinatus, and the drop-arm test specifically targets a supraspinatus tear during arm lowering rather than the isolated resisted contraction used in this test.