Athletic Training & Sports Medicine Center

  

Examination Links:

  • Alphabetical Listing
of Examinations
  • Head
  • Cervical Spine
  • Thoracic Spine
  • Lumbar Spine
    • Straight Leg Raise Test
    • Sciatic Nerve Palpation Test
    • Bowstring Test
  • Shoulder
    • Posterior G-H Instability Test
    • Inferior Drawer (Feagin) Test
    • Neer Impingement Test
    • Hawkins Kennedy
Impingement Test
    • Empty Can Test
    • Internal Rotation Strength
Test
    • External Rotation Strength
Test
    • Glenoid Labrum Clunk Test
    • Andrews Anterior Instability
Test
    • Anterior Drawer
    • Posterior Drawer
    • Prone Posterior Instability 
Test
    • Push Pull Test
    • Apprehension Test
    • Fulcrum test
    • Jerk Sign or Jahnke Test
    • Load & Shift Test
    • Acromioclavicular Joint
Stability Test
    • Cross Chest 
(Horizontal Adduction) Test
    • Sternoclavicular Joint 
Integrity Test
    • Speed's Test
    • Gilcrest's Palm-Up test
    • Drop Sign
    • External Rotation Lag Sign
    • Internal Rotation Lag Sign
    • Gerber Lift-Off Test
    • O'Brien Test
    • Yergason Test
    • Biceps Load Test I
    • Biceps Load Test II
    • Winging Scapula Test
    • Adson Maneuver
    • Allen Test
    • Roo's Test
    • Halstead's Test
  • Elbow & Radioulnar
    • Valgus Test 00
    • Valgus Test 300
    • Valgus Test 900
    • Miking Sig
    • Cross Arm Valgus
 Stress Test
    • Varus Test 00
    • Varus Test 300
    • Lateral Compression Test
    • Valgus Extension Overload
    • Cozen Test
    • Mills Test
    • Distal Radioulnar Instability 
Test
  • Wrist
    • Anatomical Snuff Box
Compression Test
    • Phalen's Test or Wrist Press 
Test
    • Tinel Sign
  • Hand & Fingers
    • Murphy's Signr
    • Boutonniere Deformity Test
    • Mallet Finger Test
    • Flexor Digitorum Superficialis
 Test
    • Flexor Digitorum Profundus
 Test
    • Gamekeeper's Thumb Test
    • MCP Radial Collateral 
Ligament Stress Test
    • MCP Ulnar Collateral 
Ligament Stress Test
    • PIP Radial Collateral 
Ligament Stress Test
    • PIP Ulnar Collateral 
Ligament Stress Test
    • DIP Radial Collateral 
Ligament Stress Test
    • DIP Ulnar Collateral 
Ligament Stress Test
    • Bunnel-Littler Test
    • Retinacular Test
    • Allen Test
  • Sacroiliac Joint
    • Ipsilateral Prone Kinetic Test
    • FABER Test
    • Passive Extension & Internal 
Rotation of Ilium on Sacrum
    • Passive Flexion & External 
Rotation of Ilium on Sacrum
    • Passive External Rotation 
of Hip
    • Pelvic Rocking Test
    • Gapping Test
    • Prone Gapping (Hibb's) Test
    • Approximation Test
    • Squish Test
      Sacroiliac Rocking Test
    • Sacral Apex Pressure Test
    • Torsion Stress Test
    • Femoral Shear Test
    • Superoinferior Symphysis
Pubic Stress Test
    • Piedallu's Sign
    • Flamingo Maneuver or Test
    • Gaenslen's Sign
    • Mazion's Pelvic Maneuver
    • Yeoman's Test
    • Sit-up Test
  • Hip & Thigh
    • Scouring (Quandrant) Test
    • FABER Test
    • Trendelenburg Test
    • Craig's Test
    • Torque Test
    • Stinchfield Test
    • Thomas Test
    • Ober Test
    • Pirifomis Test
    • Sign of the Buttock
    • Ely's Test
    • Hamstring Contracture Test 1
    • Tripod Test
    • 90-90 Straight Leg Test
    • Phelp's Test
  • Knee
    • Gravity Sign
    • Active Posterior/Anterior 
Drawer Test
    • Posterolateral Drawer Test
    • Lachman
      • Tradiional
      • Thigh Assisted
      • Drop Leg
      • Table Side
      • Table End
      • Prone
      • Active
    • Posterolateral Drawer Test
    • Figure 4 Palpation
    • McMurray's Test
    • Apley's Grind Test
    • Lateral Compression Test
    • Medial Compression Test
    • Jerk Test of Hughston
    • Pivot Shift Test
    • External Rotation 
Recurvatum Test
    •  
  • Lower Leg
  • Ankle
  • Foot
    • Morton Test
    •  
  • Range of Motion
  • Goniometry
  • Manual Muscle Testing
  • Reflexes
  • Vital Signs
  • Body Composition

 

Sulcus Sign
Examination type Ligamentous laxity, joint instability
Patient & Body Segment Positioning The patient is placed in a sitting position with the arms hanging down by the side in a relaxed position.
Examiner Position The examiner should stand behind the subject with one of his/her hands distal to the elbow and the other on the subjects shoulder.  The finger of the hand on the shoulder should be positioned so that they can palpate for a sulcus.
Tissues Being Tested

Rotator cuff muscles, glenohumeral ligaments

 
Performing the Test The examiner uses the hand distal to the elbow to pull downward creating inferior or downward traction on the arm while palpating and observing for the appearance of a sulcus between the acromion and the humerus.
Positive Test The presence of a sulcus between the acromion and the humerus.  Grade 1 is 0-1 cm of translation.  Grade 2 is 1-2 cm of translation.  Grade 3 is greater than 2 cm of translation 
Interpretation A positive finding means that the subject has some ligamentous laxity and joint instability.  A positive sulcus sign and inferior drawer test indicates multidirectional instability.
Common errors in performing exam Not having the subject relaxed may cause the test to be a false negative.  Also, be sure to test and compare bilaterally.
Factors possibly resulting in misinterpretation The subject must keep their arms relaxed or the test may be a false negative.  A bilateral sulcus sign is not as clinically significant as a unilateral sulcus sign.
Related tests Inferior Drawer or Feagin Test, Rowe Test for multidirectional instability
References Magee. Orthopedic Physical Assessment. 4th Ed. 2002.
Links:

http://www.axelina.com/ENG/kvalitet/kva_sulcus.htm

http://www.wheelessonline.com/ortho/shoulder_physical_exam

http://www.shoulder.com/ppt/EschMDICapsularPlication/sld001.htm

http://www.maitrise-orthop.com/corpusmaitri/orthopaedic/112_kelly/kellyus.shtml
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