Yergason’s Test

How is Yergason’s test performed?

You’ll stand or sit will your arms next to your side, in their natural position with the back of your hand facing forward. Next, you’ll bend (flex) your forearm (lower arm) upward at the elbow to a 90-degree angle, keeping your elbow and upper arm close to the side of your body. Make sure that the palm of your hand continues to face the floor.

Your healthcare provider will place the fingers of one of their hands on the edge of the front part of your shoulder. This is so they can feel the bicipital groove where the transverse humeral ligament and the long head of the biceps tendon are located. Their other hand will gently grasp your forearm to provide some resistance as you move your arm during the test.

Next, you’ll be asked to perform two movements. While keeping your elbow tight to your side, rotate your forearm so that the palm of your hand faces up while at the same time moving your forearm outward away from your body.

Your provider will repeat this test on your “good” arm for comparison.

What’s a positive Yergason’s test?

If your transverse humeral ligament is torn, your provider will feel a clicking or a snapping sensation under their fingers that are positioned on your shoulder. This is the long head of the biceps tendon popping out of the bicipital groove because the transverse humeral ligament is no longer holding it in place.

The test is also considered positive if you feel pain or tenderness during the test. Pain or tenderness may indicate tendinopathy (long-term tendon injury), tendinosis (breakdown of the collagen in the tendon) or SLAP tears.

How accurate is this test?

Yergason’s test has a sensitivity of 43% and a specificity of 79% for detecting problems with your biceps tendon.

What do the sensitivity and specificity of a test mean?

Sensitivity is the ability of a test to correctly identify people who have the condition (and the number of false negatives is low. “False negatives” are people who actually do have the condition but the test indicates they don’t). Specificity is the ability of a test to correctly identify people who don’t have the condition (and the number of false positives is low. “False positives” are people who don’t have the condition but the test indicates they do).

The higher the percentage of each of these values — out of 100% — the more accurate the test is in diagnosing your condition.

What are the next steps after this test?

Your healthcare provider may:

• Perform other quick physical tests (see “additional common questions” below).
• Order diagnostic imaging tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

They may also recommend:

• Rest.
• Ice.
• Anti-inflammatory medications.
• Cortisone shots.
• Physical therapy.
• Debridement (surgical removal of frayed, torn or floating tissues) within the shoulder joint.
• Other surgeries, including biceps tenotomy or tenodesis, depend on the cause.