[Examination of the non-injured shoulder]

Modern imaging methods are undeniably very attractive. They should make possible an easy study of the musculotendinous rotator cuff of the shoulder joint, lesions of which are the cause of most painful or stiff shoulder syndromes. However, not all shoulder symptoms are due to rotator cuff lesions. Also, not all methods of imaging are equally suited to showing the different cuff lesions. Further, one cannot consider the treatment of a symptomatic shoulder without having an assessment of the present condition upon which to gauge the functional improvement due to the treatment. Hence clinical examination of the painful shoulder remains essential. This makes it possible (1) to exclude an extra-articular pathology, (2) to choose the method of imaging most suited to showing the suspected lesion, and finally (3) to quantify the functional state of the shoulder.