Active Compression Test is another name for which test?

• A. Speed's Test
• B. Empty Can Test
• C. O'Brien's Test
• D. Yergason's Test

Answer: (C)

The main idea is that this maneuver is used to load the shoulder structures around the labrum and biceps tendon to identify labral tears, specifically SLAP lesions. The test is performed with the arm elevated to about 90 degrees, adducted slightly, and the forearm internally rotated so the thumb points downward, then the examiner applies a downward force while the patient resists. The movement is then repeated with the forearm in external rotation (thumb up). If pain is elicited with the internal rotation that changes with the external rotation—especially if a deep shoulder pain or a click occurs—the finding points toward a superior labrum anterior and posterior lesion rather than a simple AC joint issue. For this reason, this maneuver is known as the Active Compression Test and is used to assess SLAP pathology.

Other shoulder tests target different structures: Speed’s test stresses the long head of the biceps tendon; Empty Can tests the supraspinatus tendon; Yergason’s test assesses biceps tendon stability and pathology at the bicipital groove.