{"id":181207,"date":"2026-08-18T11:15:40","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T11:15:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pabau.com\/?p=181207"},"modified":"2026-08-18T11:38:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T11:38:39","slug":"neers-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pabau.com\/es\/blog\/neers-test\/","title":{"rendered":"Neer’s test: how to perform and interpret results"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Neer’s test is a passive shoulder maneuver used to screen for subacromial impingement syndrome, first described by Charles S. Neer in 1972.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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A positive result is pain reproduced in the anterior or lateral shoulder during passive forward flexion with the arm internally rotated.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Sensitivity ranges from 0.59 to 0.89 and specificity from 0.31 to 0.75, making it a useful screening tool rather than a standalone diagnostic.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Practice management software like Pabau stores special test findings as structured fields, so shoulder assessment outcomes stay trackable over time.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n\n\n

Neer’s test is a passive shoulder maneuver that screens for subacromial impingement. You stabilize the scapula, internally rotate the arm, then lift it into forward flexion. Pain in the anterior or lateral shoulder counts as a positive result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The test takes seconds. Reading the result well takes longer, because sensitivity and specificity vary widely across published studies. A positive finding raises your suspicion rather than settling the question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This guide covers technique, interpretation, diagnostic accuracy, and where Neer’s test sits alongside the other shoulder special tests. The last section covers how to record those findings in physical therapy practice software<\/a> so they stay useful months later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Neer’s test?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Neer’s test is a passive examination maneuver that screens for subacromial impingement syndrome of the shoulder. Orthopedic surgeon Charles S. Neer<\/strong> first described it in his 1972 paper<\/a> on anterior acromioplasty for chronic impingement. It is now a standard part of shoulder physical examinations worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The test works by mechanically reproducing the impingement mechanism. Passive forward flexion with the shoulder internally rotated drives the greater tuberosity toward the anterior undersurface of the acromion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That compresses the supraspinatus tendon inside the subacromial space, and the long head of the biceps tendon to a lesser extent. If impingement is present, the patient’s familiar pain comes back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neer’s test loads three structures:<\/p>\n\n\n\n