Test library › Shoulder & upper arm
Hornblower's sign
For: Infraspinatus / teres minor tear
A tear involving the infraspinatus and teres minor, the two rotator cuff tendons at the back of the shoulder that turn the arm outwards. Usually part of a large cuff tear.
A weak test on its ownPositive likelihood ratio as published by the study, calculated from its raw counts; the rounded percentages shown give a slightly lower figure.
What the numbers mean
- Positive result: a small shift: a positive result nudges the diagnosis up, but does not settle it.
- Negative result: barely informative: a negative result changes little.
Source
Jain NB, Luz J, Higgins LD, Dong Y, Warner JJP, Matzkin E, Katz JN. The Diagnostic Accuracy of Special Tests for Rotator Cuff Tear: The ROW Cohort Study. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2017;96(3):176–183. PubMed · single study
Figures as they will appear in Rule It In, Rule It Out (Trokos, forthcoming). If a newer or better study changes them, this page changes with the book. Figures last updated from the book on 2 October 2026.
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This page gives the published figures. Rule It In, Rule It Out adds how to do this test, what counts as positive, how to read the result, and, where studied, whether combining it with other tests helps.
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Rule It In is a free evidence letter for musculoskeletal clinicians: one recent study explained, one examination test with its real numbers. From Trokos, publisher of Rule It In, Rule It Out.