Hawkins-Kennedy test position involves which of the following?

• A. Flex shoulder and elbow to 90 degrees and internally rotate
• B. Extend elbow and externally rotate
• C. Abduct shoulder to 90 degrees with adduction
• D. Flex elbow to 45 degrees with internal rotation

Answer: (A)

This test looks for subacromial impingement by forcing the rotator cuff tendons, especially the supraspinatus, into the coracoacromial arch. The way to provoke this is to position the arm so the subacromial space is narrowest: flex the shoulder to about 90 degrees, bend the elbow to 90 degrees, and then internally rotate the arm. If this motion reproduces pain in the shoulder, it suggests impingement from the rotator cuff tendons under the acromion.

The other positions don’t place the tendons in the impingement zone in the same way. Extending the elbow with external rotation doesn’t compress the supraspinatus under the arch. Abducting to 90 degrees with adduction isn’t the described impingement maneuver and doesn’t specifically load the subacromial space. Flexing the elbow to 45 degrees with internal rotation also fails to reproduce the targeted impingement together with the 90-degree shoulder flexion.