Seated or standing with the elbows flexed at 90 degrees
Examiner Position
Standing in front, or beside, the patient
Steps of Performance
Examiner palpates the patient’s sternum and identifies the manubrium, placing the bell of the stethoscope over this landmark once located
With the patient’s elbow flexed to 90 degrees, the examiner then percusses the olecranon process of the ulna bilaterally, listening for any audible difference in pitch and/or intensity between the sides
The olecranon-manubrium percussion test utilizes osteophony, via bone conduction, to assess the integrity of the bony structures of the shoulder. If a fracture, dislocation, or other abnormality is present between the point of percussion at the olecranon and the point of auscultation at the manubrium, it is likely to result in auditory change when compared to a patient’s contralateral (healthy) side.
Seated or standing with the elbows flexed at 90 degrees
Examiner Position
Standing in front, or beside, the patient
Steps of Performance
Examiner palpates the patient’s sternum and identifies the manubrium, placing the bell of the stethoscope over this landmark once located
With the patient’s elbow flexed to 90 degrees, the examiner then percusses the olecranon process of the ulna bilaterally, listening for any audible difference in pitch and/or intensity between the sides
The olecranon-manubrium percussion test utilizes osteophony, via bone conduction, to assess the integrity of the bony structures of the shoulder. If a fracture, dislocation, or other abnormality is present between the point of percussion at the olecranon and the point of auscultation at the manubrium, it is likely to result in auditory change when compared to a patient’s contralateral (healthy) side.
