Here’s a quick mobility test for you: Can you reach one arm behind and up your back and the other arm over your shoulder and down your back so your hands meet?
This simple test—often called the back scratch test—is used by physical therapists to show how flexible and mobile your shoulders are, how well your upper body works, and to pinpoint tight or stiff areas.
Physical therapist Ashley Katzenback, owner of Cape Concierge Physical Therapy, demonstrates how to perform the test below and tells me why having mobile shoulders matters.
“Using the shoulder mobility test monitors your shoulder rotation,” Katzenback says. “Often, one of the first indicators of an issue is limited shoulder internal rotation—reaching behind your back.
“To remain strong and independent, we need full use of our arms.
“Health conditions such as rotator cuff tendinopathy (pain and weakness in the shoulder tendons when lifting your arm, sleeping on your side or doing overhead movements) and shoulder impingement are more common in people over 50.”
And believe me when I say you want to steer well clear of shoulder injuries. “Shoulder injuries are incredibly painful, particularly at night, which limits sleep and causes a ripple effect,” Katzenback says.
This test reveals more than just shoulder mobility, too. Katzenback says it shows how well different parts of your upper body work together, from the thoracic spine (upper and middle back), scapula (shoulder blades) and the shoulder joint.
How to do the shoulder mobility test
Katzenback says if your hands are within one hand’s length, then you have “good mobility”. If they are more than 1.5 hand’s length apart, it “needs improvement”.
As to what needs improvement may need a physical therapist to assess—it could be tightness in your chest, upper back or shoulders. But the good news is that whatever the issue is, Katzenback says that just performing the test regularly will improve your flexibility.
You can also add the three stretches below to your routine.
