Ontario Registered Kinesiology Practice Exam

A positive Hawkins-Kennedy test is specifically indicative of shoulder impingement. This test is performed by flexing the shoulder to 90 degrees and then forcibly internally rotating the arm. If the patient experiences pain during this maneuver, it's a sign that the rotator cuff tendons, particularly the supraspinatus tendon, may be compressed or impinged beneath the coracoacromial arch. This condition is common when there is narrowing of the subacromial space, often leading to irritation of the tendons in that area.

Shoulder impingement generally presents with anterior shoulder pain, which aligns with the symptoms described in the question. Thus, the Hawkins-Kennedy test serves as a clinical tool to help identify this specific condition based on the mechanism of impingement involved with shoulder movements.