Shoulder Atlas · The examination in motion

Rotator cuff / RIGHT SHOULDER

Empty can test

Active · resisted

RIGHT SHOULDER · LEFT SIDE AT REST
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Passive guidanceExaminer resistancePatient effort

Explore the maneuver

Drag to pause · Loops after a 2-second hold

Elevate

Bring the straight arm to 90° of elevation in the scapular plane, about 30° anterior to the frontal plane.

Arm elevation0°

Humeral rotation0° neutral

Elbow flexion0°

Current actionPositioning

Tissue depthRotator cuff

Structures in focus

Jobe’s test challenges supraspinatus function with the arm elevated and thumb down. Assess both the patient’s ability to resist and whether the maneuver reproduces familiar pain.

How to perform

Bring the straight arm to 90° of elevation in the scapular plane, about 30° anterior to the frontal plane.
Internally rotate the shoulder so the thumb points down. Keep the elbow straight. This position can narrow the subacromial space and may provoke pain more readily than the full-can position.
Hold the arm up while the examiner presses downward at the distal forearm. The resistance phase is isometric.

What it loads

The supraspinatus helps elevate the arm and stabilize the humeral head. A positive pain response can overlap with subacromial pain.

POSITIVE FINDING

Pain and/or weakness with resisted elevation. Weakness may reflect pain inhibition or cuff dysfunction; it does not establish a tear.

How to interpret

Separate pain from loss of force: a painful but strong response differs from marked weakness. Interpret alongside other cuff tests rather than assigning a tendon tear from this result alone.

Empty can and Jobe’s name the same maneuver. Compare with full can and external-rotation strength.

Clinical reference

About the model, clinical scope & sources

Reference anatomy, illustrative mechanics

Bones and right-shoulder muscle surfaces use BodyParts3D anatomical meshes. The full rib cage, sternum, and resting left shoulder, arm, and hand provide translucent orientation references. Skin envelopes, bursa, capsule, tendon paths, and the AC connector are simplified overlays. Fat, individual capsular ligaments, and the complete surrounding musculature are not separately represented.

Motion uses an approximate shoulder pivot, elbow hinge, and blended muscle attachments. Scapular movement is illustrative; Neer’s uses a stabilized scapula. Muscle deformation, radioulnar rotation, and behind-the-back positions are approximations. There is no collision, force, tissue-strain, or pain solver. Angles describe the animation, not measured patient motion.

BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science licensed under CC Attribution 4.0 International. Meshes have been converted, reoriented, and animated. The mesh mirror also carries an earlier CC BY-SA 2.1 Japan notice, preserved with the assets.

Dataset & license ↗Mesh source ↗Asset attribution ↗

Clinical teaching scope

This is a teaching prototype for examining movement and anatomy, not a validated diagnostic simulator. Tests have overlapping findings and variable diagnostic accuracy. Interpret familiar pain, weakness, restriction, and location with the clinical history and a complete examination.

The displayed sequence is one commonly described variant. These are demonstrations, not prescribed ranges to force a patient through. This version covers 12 maneuvers; instability and labral tests are outside this initial library.

Clinical review sources:

Stanford Medicine 25 ↗AAFP: shoulder evaluation ↗ShoulderDoc: exam tests ↗Empty can / full can ↗