In the majority of shoulder pathologies

In the majority of shoulder pathologies, an accessory alteration in scapular kinematics is present – it is commonly presumed that a reduction in upward rotation and posterior tilt during arm elevation lead to narrowing of the subacromial space, and may therefore cause impingement. Consequently, the evaluation of scapular movements is an integral part of the clinical examination of the shoulder. 

This study investigated the interrater reliability of mobility tests of the shoulder girdle as proposed by Stenvers & Overbeek (1977) in both patients suffering from a slight restriction of shoulder flexion and asymptomatic controls. 

There was a 82-92% percentage of agreement between two independent assessors. Three of the four tests individually had kappa values ranging from 0.63-0.79; one test had a kappa value of 0.84. When applying a rule of at least three positive tests out of four to clinically diagnose restricted scapular movement, the cluster had a kappa value of 0.74. The authors conclude that there is substantial reliability for the four mobility tests. > 
From: Baertschi et al., BMC Musculoskelet Disord 14 (2013) 315. Distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.