Video 2.11. The Belly Press Test

The examiner performs the belly press test on a patient with a rotator cuff tear. The test is considered positive if the patient’s wrist flexes or they demonstrate weakness to resistance. A positive test indicates a tear of the subscapularis tendon. Here, the patient is unable to internally rotate his shoulder while keeping the wrist straight. Further, the patient is unable to resist a posteriorly directed force by the examiner. The patient has a positive right-sided belly press test, indicating a right-sided subscapularis tear.