Which statement about the Hawkins-Kennedy impingement test is TRUE?

• A. It is used to assess hip impingement.
• B. It is used to assess shoulder impingement involving the supraspinatus tendon.
• C. It measures elbow range of motion.
• D. It indicates impingement of the biceps tendon.

Answer: (B)

Subacromial impingement in the shoulder, particularly impingement of the supraspinatus tendon, is what the Hawkins-Kennedy test is designed to provoke. The maneuver positions the arm to maximize the narrowing of the subacromial space: the shoulder is flexed to about 90 degrees and the elbow is flexed to 90 degrees, then the examiner internally rotates the arm. This internal rotation compresses the structures under the coracoacromial arch, so if pain is reproduced or the patient reports familiar anterior shoulder pain, it indicates impingement of the supraspinatus tendon in that subacromial region.

This test does not assess hip impingement, nor does it measure elbow range of motion. While pain from impingement can involve nearby structures such as the long head of the biceps, the Hawkins-Kennedy maneuver is best understood as a test for subacromial impingement of the supraspinatus tendon.