College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia (CMTBC) Practice Exam

What does a positive Drop-Arm Test indicate?

1. Fracture of the humerus

2. Rotator cuff tear

3. Shoulder dislocation

4. Supraspinatus tear

The correct answer is: Rotator cuff tear

A positive Drop-Arm Test is a clinical assessment used to evaluate the integrity of the rotator cuff, particularly the supraspinatus muscle. When a patient is asked to abduct their arm and then lower it slowly, the inability to control the descent of the arm—often resulting in the arm dropping abruptly—indicates potential impairment or injury to the rotator cuff. The test assesses the function of the supraspinatus, one of the four rotator cuff muscles, which is primarily responsible for initiating shoulder abduction. When there is a tear or significant dysfunction in the rotator cuff, especially involving the supraspinatus, the patient will struggle to control the arm's descent, leading to a positive test result. Other options, such as fracture of the humerus or shoulder dislocation, could present with various symptoms but do not specifically isolate the rotator cuff's functionality like the Drop-Arm Test does. Additionally, while a supraspinatus tear is directly related to the positive test outcome, the broader classification of a rotator cuff tear encompasses this and aligns more accurately with the purpose of the test. Thus, the test is a direct indicator of rotator cuff pathology, particularly a tear, making the identification of a rotator