How to Self-Diagnose Shoulder Pain: Tests to Find the Cause
Simple at-home tests to help identify which structure is causing your shoulder pain, demonstrated by a chiropractor with over 24 years of clinical experience. Finding the cause is the first step — because the right treatment depends on it.
Shoulder pain is extremely common: it’s estimated that around 70% of people will experience it at some point, and once it starts, almost 50% of people still have it 12 months later. So identifying the source early matters.
Shoulder pain can come from several different structures, and this video works through them top to bottom, with a specific test for each: the neck (a pinched nerve, or radiculopathy — the Foraminal Compression Test), the brachial plexus (the Roos Test), the rotator cuff muscles (the Empty Can Test for the supraspinatus, and a resisted rotation test for the infraspinatus), the AC joint on top of the shoulder (the Pull-Apart Test), and impingement within the joint itself (the Drop Arm Test and painful arc). It also covers the signs of osteoarthritis.
Our chiropractor Jasper Hulscher explains what each test involves and what a positive result means. This is educational content to help you understand your shoulder pain, not a replacement for a professional assessment.
Related Reading
Is chiropractic safe? What patients in Bury St Edmunds should know
Once you’ve found the likely cause, see the shoulder impingement exercises video
Questions
How do I find out what's causing my shoulder pain?
Can shoulder pain come from the neck?
What is the Roos Test and what does it check for?
How do I test for a rotator cuff tear (the Empty Can Test)?
How do I know if my AC joint is the problem?
What are the signs of shoulder impingement (the Drop Arm Test)?
Key Takeaways (timestamped)
[00:00] How common shoulder pain is — around 70% of people experience it at some point, and almost 50% still have it 12 months after it starts.
[00:57] The neck (radiculopathy) — a pinched nerve in the neck can refer pain into the shoulder, arm, and fingers. Test: the Foraminal Compression Test — turn the head to the affected side and tilt back; reproduced pain points to the neck.
[01:46] The brachial plexus — nerves and blood vessels running from neck to shoulder, which can be compressed by a muscle, the collarbone, or the first rib. Test: the Roos Test — arms up at 90°, open and close the hands for three minutes; heaviness, weakness, numbness, or tingling is positive.
[03:03] Rotator cuff tears — Empty Can Test for the supraspinatus (arm out, thumb down, resist pressure) and a resisted external-rotation test for the infraspinatus; pain suggests a tear.
[04:19] The AC joint — on top of the shoulder; commonly irritated in weightlifters (shoulder presses) and after falls onto the shoulder (a visible “step” defect). Test: the Pull-Apart Test — interlock fingers and pull apart; ache on top of the shoulder is positive.
[05:23] Osteoarthritis — more likely with age or past trauma; persistent grinding (not occasional clicking) is a telltale sign.
[05:38] Impingement — a tendon getting stuck as the joint’s space narrows. Tests: hand on the opposite shoulder and raise the arm (pain is positive), and the Drop Arm Test / painful arc, where the arm can’t be held up through a certain range.
Transcript
Introduction
We see a lot of patients complaining of shoulder pain. It’s not surprising — it’s estimated that 70% of people will suffer shoulder pain at some stage in their lives, and once you have it, almost 50% of patients still have it 12 months after it started. So it can persist for a long time. My name is Jasper, I’m a chiropractor at Milton and Fornham Chiropractic Clinics, on the outskirts of Bury St Edmunds and Cambridge. Today I’ll show you a few tests to find out what’s actually causing your shoulder problem — because we need to know the cause before we can help. I’ll go from top to bottom.
The Neck (Radiculopathy) — Foraminal Compression Test
The first structure that can cause shoulder pain is your neck, especially with a radiculopathy — a nerve pinched in the neck. You know you have one when you get shooting pain from your neck into the shoulder, elbow, arm, and sometimes the fingers. The Foraminal Compression Test: if your right shoulder is affected, turn your head to the right and tilt it backwards. If that reproduces your shoulder pain (or pain between the shoulder blades), your shoulder pain likely stems from your neck.
The Brachial Plexus — Roos Test
The second structure is the brachial plexus — nerves and blood vessels running from the neck into the shoulder. It can be compressed by a muscle, the clavicle, or even the first rib. The Roos Test: put your arms up at 90 degrees at the shoulder and elbow, pull them back slightly, and open and shut your hands for three minutes. It’s positive if you get heaviness or weakness in the arms, or numbness and tingling in the hands. You’ll get tired — you’re looking for genuine heaviness and weakness.
Rotator Cuff — Empty Can and Infraspinatus Tests
The third is a rotator cuff tear — muscles that surround and hold the joint in place. The most common tear is the supraspinatus, tested with the Empty Can Test: straighten the arm, thumb towards the ground at about 30 degrees forward, and resist gentle pressure; soreness suggests a supraspinatus tear. For the infraspinatus: elbow into your side, arm turned out, and resist as the other hand pulls; pain suggests an infraspinatus tear.
The AC Joint — Pull-Apart Test
The AC joint sits on top of the shoulder — come up from the upper arm to a bony bit, in about half an inch to a small dip. It’s commonly affected in weightlifters (shoulder presses) and after falls onto the shoulder, which can leave a step defect. The Pull-Apart Test: interlock your fingers and pull apart as hard as you can; an ache on top of the shoulder points to the AC joint.
Osteoarthritis and Impingement — Drop Arm Test
It could also be osteoarthritis — more likely if you’re older or have had a past trauma, with a lot of grinding (not the occasional click). And it could be an impingement, where a tendon gets stuck as the joint’s space decreases. Test: put your right hand on your left shoulder and raise the arm; soreness suggests impingement. Or the Drop Arm Test: lift the arm up and bring it down — if you reach a point where it’s too sore to hold up and you have this painful arc, that’s positive for impingement.
Closing
First we need to know what’s causing your shoulder problem — then we can help, and there are things you can do to help yourself, with more videos coming. Good luck with this. Thank you, bye for now.
Summary
Shoulder pain is one of the most common complaints — around 70% of people get it at some point, and almost half still have it a year after onset — which makes finding the cause early worthwhile, since the right treatment depends on knowing the source. This video works through the structures that can cause shoulder pain, top to bottom, with a specific self-test for each. Pain can refer from the neck when a nerve is pinched (the Foraminal Compression Test), from the brachial plexus when nerves and vessels are compressed (the Roos Test), from a rotator cuff tear (the Empty Can Test for the supraspinatus and a resisted rotation test for the infraspinatus), from the AC joint on top of the shoulder (the Pull-Apart Test), or from impingement within the joint (the Drop Arm Test and painful arc). It also notes the grinding that can signal osteoarthritis. Each test is explained with what a positive result means, so you can narrow down the likely cause — though these indicate rather than confirm a diagnosis, which needs a professional assessment. It pairs naturally with the shoulder impingement exercises video, which covers what to do once impingement is identified.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can shoulder pain come from the neck?
Yes — surprisingly often. A pinched nerve in the neck (a radiculopathy) can refer pain into the shoulder, between the shoulder blades, and down the arm to the fingers. The Foraminal Compression Test checks for this: turn your head towards the affected side and tilt it backwards; if that reproduces your shoulder pain, the source is likely your neck rather than the shoulder itself.
What is the Roos Test?
It checks whether the brachial plexus — the bundle of nerves and blood vessels running from the neck into the shoulder — is being compressed. You raise both arms to 90 degrees at the shoulder and elbow, pull them back slightly, and open and close your hands for three minutes. You’ll naturally tire, but the test is positive if you get genuine heaviness or weakness in the arms, or numbness and tingling in the hands.
How do I test for a rotator cuff tear?
Two common tests. The Empty Can Test checks the supraspinatus: straighten the arm out at about 30 degrees forward with the thumb pointing down, then resist gentle downward pressure — soreness suggests a tear. For the infraspinatus, tuck your elbow into your side, turn the arm out slightly, and resist as someone pulls it inward — pain suggests a tear in that muscle.
How do I know if my AC joint is the problem?
The AC joint sits on top of the shoulder — feel up from your upper arm to a bony bit, then a small dip. It’s commonly irritated in weightlifters (especially shoulder presses) and after falls onto the shoulder, which can leave a visible “step.” The Pull-Apart Test checks it: interlock your fingers and pull apart hard; an ache on top of the shoulder points to the AC joint.
What are the signs of shoulder impingement?
Impingement is when a tendon gets stuck as the space in the joint narrows. Two quick tests: place your hand on the opposite shoulder and raise the arm — pain is a positive sign; and the Drop Arm Test, where you raise the arm fully and lower it, and at a certain point it becomes too sore to hold up (a “painful arc”). Both suggest impingement within the shoulder.
What does grinding in my shoulder mean?
Persistent grinding — as opposed to the occasional harmless click when you move your arm — can be a telltale sign of osteoarthritis, particularly if you’re older or have had a shoulder trauma in the past. It’s worth having assessed rather than self-treating.
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