Hip Orthopaedic Test: Scour Test

The Scour Test, also known as the hip quadrant test, is a passive hip provocation test that applies axial compression through the femur while moving the hip through combined movement arcs. It is commonly used to support assessment reasoning around intra-articular hip involvement, including labral, chondral, femoroacetabular impingement-type or hip osteoarthritis-type presentations.

A positive finding may include familiar hip or groin pain, clicking, catching, grinding, apprehension or symptom reproduction during the compressed movement arc. However, the Scour Test does not confirm a specific condition on its own and should be interpreted alongside history, symptoms, range of motion, strength, imaging if relevant and other hip special tests.

Introduction

The Scour Test is a commonly used hip special test that applies compression through the hip joint while the hip is moved through a controlled arc. It is often used to assess whether combined hip movement and compression reproduce the client’s familiar symptoms.

The test is sometimes called the hip quadrant test because the professional moves the hip through different quadrants of motion while maintaining axial loading. This may provoke symptoms from irritated intra-articular or periarticular structures, but the test is not specific enough to identify a single structure with certainty.

The Scour Test can be relevant for clients with hip pain, groin pain, catching, clicking, stiffness, reduced tolerance to loaded hip flexion, or symptoms during pivoting and squatting tasks. It is often used alongside FABER, FADIR, Fitzgerald Test, Log Roll Test, hip range of motion and functional assessment.

Because hip physical examination tests vary in diagnostic accuracy, the Scour Test should be used as part of a cluster of findings rather than as a stand-alone diagnostic tool.

Quick Summary

Test name: Scour Test / Hip Quadrant Test
Region: Hip and groin
Primary purpose: Assess symptom response to axial compression and combined hip movement
Commonly associated presentations: Hip labral involvement, FAI-type symptoms, chondral irritation, hip osteoarthritis-type symptoms, intra-articular hip pain
Positive finding: Familiar hip/groin pain, clicking, catching, grinding, apprehension or symptom reproduction during the test arc
Negative finding: No familiar pain, no mechanical symptoms and smooth controlled hip movement
Main limitation: It is provocative but not specific to one condition.

What Is the Scour Test?

The Scour Test is a passive hip provocation test where the professional applies axial compression through the femur while moving the hip through flexion and combined rotation, adduction and abduction.

The test is designed to compress and move the femoral head within the acetabulum. This may reproduce symptoms if the hip joint or surrounding structures are sensitive.

The test may be used to observe:

• Hip or groin pain response
• Mechanical symptoms
• Painful arc
• Movement restriction
• Apprehension
• Grinding or crepitus
• Side-to-side difference
• Response to axial loading

The Scour Test is a symptom provocation and assessment reasoning test, not a stand-alone diagnostic test.

Why It Is Used

The Scour Test may be used to support assessment reasoning around:

• Hip or groin pain
• Intra-articular hip symptom contribution
• Labral involvement
• Chondral irritation
• FAI-type symptoms
• Hip osteoarthritis-type symptoms
• Pain with loaded hip flexion
• Pain with squatting, pivoting or twisting
• Mechanical symptoms such as catching or clicking
• Side-to-side hip assessment

It is useful because it combines compression with movement, which can reproduce symptoms that may not appear during simple range-of-motion testing.

What It Assesses

The Scour Test assesses the client’s response to compressed hip movement.

It may provide information about:

• Familiar symptom reproduction
• Pain location
• Mechanical symptoms
• Compressed hip flexion tolerance
• Hip quadrant sensitivity
• Range restriction
• Apprehension or guarding
• Side-to-side difference
• Possible intra-articular contribution

It does not directly assess:

• Labral integrity with certainty
• Cartilage status with certainty
• FAI morphology
• Hip osteoarthritis diagnosis
• Imaging findings
• Hip strength
• Neuromuscular control
• Pelvic contribution
• Lumbar contribution
• Readiness for sport or work
• Treatment needs

Who It Is Useful For

The Scour Test may be useful for clients with:

• Hip pain
• Groin pain
• Mechanical hip symptoms
• Clicking, catching or locking sensations
• Pain during squatting or deep flexion
• Pain during pivoting, cutting or twisting
• Reduced hip mobility
• Suspected intra-articular hip contribution
• A need for baseline and retest documentation

It may also be useful for professionals learning how axial compression and combined movement can influence hip symptom response.

When to Use This Test

Consider using the Scour Test when:

• Hip or groin symptoms are part of the presentation
• The client reports mechanical symptoms
• Symptoms occur during loaded hip flexion or rotation
• You want to compare compressed movement response side to side
• Other hip special tests are relevant
• You are building a broader hip assessment profile

Because the test can be provocative, it is often best performed after less provocative assessment, such as history, observation, active range, passive range and the Log Roll Test.

When Not to Use or When to Be Cautious

Use caution or avoid the test when:

• The hip is highly irritable
• There is suspected fracture, dislocation or acute major trauma
• The client cannot tolerate compression
• Passive hip flexion is sharply painful
• Recent surgery makes the test inappropriate
• The client reports neurological symptoms requiring further assessment
• The professional cannot control the limb safely
• The test is likely to provoke symptoms beyond a useful level

Stop the test if pain increases sharply, mechanical symptoms feel unsafe, the client asks to stop, or the hip cannot be moved safely.

Equipment Required

The Scour Test usually requires no special equipment.

Optional equipment includes:

• Measurz app
• Pain rating scale
• Plinth or firm testing surface
• Goniometer or inclinometer if measuring range separately
• Notes field for movement arc, pain location and mechanical symptoms
• Video recording for education or comparison where appropriate

Step-by-Step Protocol / Practice

Setup

Ask the client to lie supine on a plinth or firm surface.

Explain that you will move the hip while applying gentle compression through the leg. Test the less symptomatic side first where appropriate.

Client position

The client lies supine with:

• Head and trunk relaxed
• Pelvis neutral
• Tested hip and knee flexed
• Opposite leg relaxed
• The client not actively assisting the movement

Examiner/professional position

The professional stands on the side of the tested hip.

The professional supports the client’s thigh and lower leg so the hip can be moved smoothly.

Hand placement

One hand supports or controls the knee/distal femur.

The other hand supports the lower leg or ankle.

The professional should be able to apply axial compression through the femur toward the acetabulum.

Stabilisation

Monitor the pelvis and trunk to reduce excessive movement.

Avoid forcing pelvic stabilisation. The goal is controlled hip movement with meaningful symptom recording.

Movement or force direction

Apply gentle axial compression through the femur toward the hip joint.

While maintaining compression, move the hip through a controlled arc, commonly including:

• Hip flexion
• Adduction
• Internal rotation
• Abduction
• External rotation

Some professionals move from flexion/adduction/internal rotation through a sweeping arc toward flexion/abduction/external rotation.

The movement should be slow and controlled.

Instructions

Tell the client:

“Let your leg stay relaxed. I am going to move your hip while applying gentle pressure through the leg. Tell me if this reproduces your familiar symptoms, where you feel them and whether you notice clicking, catching or grinding.”

Positive finding

A positive finding may include:

• Familiar hip or groin pain
• Familiar catching or locking sensation
• Painful clicking
• Grinding or crepitus with familiar symptoms
• Apprehension
• Reproduction of the client’s typical symptoms
• A painful arc in a specific quadrant
• Meaningful side-to-side difference

Record the movement position where symptoms occurred.

Negative finding

A negative finding may include:

• No familiar pain
• No relevant mechanical symptoms
• Smooth movement through the arc
• No apprehension
• No meaningful side-to-side difference
• No symptom reproduction

A negative result does not fully exclude hip involvement.

Stopping criteria

Stop the test if:

• Pain increases sharply
• The client asks to stop
• Catching or locking feels unsafe
• The hip cannot be moved safely
• The client guards strongly
• Neurological symptoms occur
• The test is not meaningful due to irritability

Safety notes

The Scour Test can be provocative. Use controlled movement and avoid aggressive compression or repeated painful arcs.

Positive and Negative Test Interpretation

A positive Scour Test may increase suspicion that compressed hip movement is relevant to the client’s symptoms. This may support assessment reasoning around intra-articular hip involvement, especially when the test reproduces familiar groin pain, painful clicking, catching or the client’s typical symptoms.

However, a positive Scour Test does not confirm a labral tear, cartilage lesion, FAI syndrome, hip osteoarthritis or any other specific condition. The test compresses and moves the hip through multiple positions, so symptoms may be influenced by several structures and factors.

A negative Scour Test may reduce suspicion that compressed passive hip motion is a major symptom driver in that session. However, a negative result does not fully exclude hip involvement, especially if symptoms occur during higher-load activities such as running, pivoting, kicking or deep squatting.

The finding is more meaningful when interpreted with:

• History
• Pain location
• Mechanical symptoms
• Hip range of motion
• FABER
• FADIR
• Log Roll Test
• Fitzgerald Test
• Hip strength
• Squat or lunge assessment
• Gait and sport-specific tasks
• Imaging where relevant

Sensitivity, Specificity and Diagnostic Accuracy

Diagnostic accuracy for the Scour Test varies by population, target condition, test definition and reference standard.

Systematic review evidence on hip physical examination tests indicates that most individual hip tests have weak diagnostic properties when used alone, with few tests supported as stand-alone decision-making tools. This means the Scour Test should be interpreted cautiously and as part of a broader cluster.

Condition or presentation: Hip/groin pain, intra-articular hip pathology, FAI/labral-type presentations or hip osteoarthritis-type presentations depending on study
Population: Varies across studies
Test variation: Hip Scour Test / Hip Quadrant Test using compression and movement arc
Reference standard: Varies, including imaging, diagnostic injection, arthroscopy, or clinical reference standards
Sensitivity: Variable across studies and target conditions
Specificity: Variable and often limited for stand-alone interpretation
Positive likelihood ratio: Not consistently strong enough for stand-alone confirmation
Negative likelihood ratio: Not consistently strong enough for stand-alone exclusion
Key limitations: Test technique varies, populations differ, reference standards differ, and pain provocation is not specific to one structure.

Plain-language interpretation:

• A positive Scour Test may support suspicion that hip joint loading is relevant.
• It does not confirm a labral, chondral, FAI or osteoarthritis condition on its own.
• A negative test does not fully exclude hip involvement.
• The result is more useful when combined with other findings.

Reliability and Validity

Reliability depends on how consistently the professional performs the test.

Reliability may improve when the professional standardises:

• Client position
• Hip flexion angle
• Compression force
• Movement arc
• Movement speed
• Symptom questions
• Definition of a positive finding
• Side-to-side comparison
• Recording of clicking, catching, grinding or pain

Validity is limited as a stand-alone diagnostic test. The Scour Test is valid as a symptom provocation manoeuvre for compressed hip movement, but it does not directly verify labral, chondral or bony pathology.

The test is most valid when the result is interpreted as one data point within a broader hip assessment.

Common Errors and Limitations

Common errors include:

• Applying too much compression
• Moving too quickly
• Forcing painful end range
• Not recording the movement arc that caused symptoms
• Treating painless clicking as positive
• Ignoring symptom familiarity
• Not comparing sides
• Not separating pain from stiffness
• Using the test as a stand-alone diagnosis
• Not considering lumbar or pelvic contribution

Limitations include:

• It is not specific to one structure
• Diagnostic accuracy varies widely
• Pain can arise from several tissues
• Mechanical symptoms are not always pathological
• Technique varies between professionals
• Acute irritability can reduce usefulness
• It may provoke symptoms more than needed if performed aggressively
• A single test should not guide decisions alone

Practical Applications

The Scour Test may be useful for:

• Hip and groin assessment
• Intra-articular hip assessment reasoning
• Mechanical symptom documentation
• Compressed hip flexion tolerance
• Side-to-side comparison
• Baseline and retest records
• Client education
• Deciding whether further assessment may be appropriate

In Measurz, Scour Test findings can be recorded alongside Log Roll, FABER, FADIR, Fitzgerald, hip range of motion, hip strength, squat assessment, gait and sport-specific movement tests.

How to Record This in Measurz

Record:

• Test name: Scour Test / Hip Quadrant Test
• Side tested
• Result: positive, negative, unclear or unable to test
• Pain score
• Symptom location
• Symptom quality
• Familiar symptom reproduction
• Clicking, catching, grinding or locking
• Movement arc that reproduced symptoms
• Compression tolerance
• Range limitation
• End-feel
• Comparison side
• Irritability
• Guarding or compensations
• Reason for stopping if relevant
• Related findings
• Confidence in result
• Further assessment notes if appropriate
• Retest date if relevant

Recording these details improves repeatability, communication, client education, assessment reasoning, monitoring over time, team consistency and reporting quality.

Related Tests / Internal Links

• Log Roll Test
• FABER Test
• FADIR Test
• Fitzgerald Test
• Hip internal rotation
• Hip flexion range of motion
• Hip strength testing
• Single-leg squat
• Gait assessment
• Toe Touch Test

FAQs

What does the Scour Test assess?

It assesses symptom response during compressed hip movement and may support reasoning around intra-articular hip involvement.

Is the Scour Test the same as the Hip Quadrant Test?

Yes. The Scour Test is commonly called the hip quadrant test or quadrant scour test.

What is a positive Scour Test?

A positive finding may include familiar hip or groin pain, painful clicking, catching, grinding, apprehension or symptom reproduction during the movement arc.

Does the Scour Test diagnose a labral tear?

No. It may support suspicion of intra-articular involvement, but it does not confirm a labral tear.

Does a negative Scour Test exclude hip pathology?

No. A negative result does not fully exclude hip involvement.

Should compression be strong?

No. Compression should be controlled and tolerable. Aggressive compression can make the test less useful and more provocative than necessary.

Should the painful arc be recorded?

Yes. Recording the position where symptoms occur improves retest consistency and interpretation.

What should the test be combined with?

History, hip range of motion, FABER, FADIR, Log Roll, Fitzgerald, strength testing, gait and functional assessment.

Key Takeaways

The Scour Test applies axial compression while the hip is moved through combined movement arcs.

It can help record familiar hip/groin pain, mechanical symptoms and compressed movement tolerance.

A positive test may support hip-related assessment reasoning but does not confirm a specific condition.

A negative test does not fully exclude hip involvement.

Diagnostic accuracy varies, and individual hip physical examination tests should not be used alone.

Measurz recording should include side, symptoms, mechanical findings, painful arc, compression tolerance and comparison side.

References

Cliborne, A. V., Wainner, R. S., Rhon, D. I., Judd, C. D., Fee, T. T., & Matekel, R. L. (2004). Clinical hip tests and a functional squat test in patients with knee osteoarthritis: Reliability, prevalence of positive test findings, and short-term response to hip mobilisation. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 34(11), 676–685. https://doi.org/10.2519/jospt.2004.34.11.676

Reiman, M. P., Goode, A. P., Hegedus, E. J., Cook, C. E., & Wright, A. A. (2013). Diagnostic accuracy of clinical tests of the hip: A systematic review with meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 47(14), 893–902. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2012-091035

Reiman, M. P., Goode, A. P., Cook, C. E., Hölmich, P., & Thorborg, K. (2015). Diagnostic accuracy of clinical tests for the diagnosis of hip femoroacetabular impingement/labral tear: A systematic review with meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 49(12), 811. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2014-094302

Reiman, M. P., Thorborg, K., & Hölmich, P. (2015). Physical examination tests for hip dysfunction and injury. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 49(6), 357–361. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2013-092994

Sutlive, T. G., Lopez, H. P., Schnitker, D. E., Yawn, S. E., Halle, R. J., Mansfield, L. T., Boyles, R. E., Childs, J. D., & Flynn, T. W. (2008). Development of a clinical prediction rule for diagnosing hip osteoarthritis in individuals with unilateral hip pain. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 38(9), 542–550. https://doi.org/10.2519/jospt.2008.2753