Scour Test: how to perform it to assess hip joint health

When someone describes a "deep" hip pain that appears with large movements like squatting or rotating the leg, sometimes accompanied by a click or grinding sensation, the Scour test (also called the hip quadrant test) is one of the most direct tools for exploring the state of the joint.

What does this test measure?

The Scour test combines axial compression of the femoral head against the acetabulum with circular movements of hip flexion, adduction, and abduction. The idea is to "sweep" the entire available joint surface while maintaining compression, looking for:

• Pain at some point during the movement
• Crepitus or clicking (a grinding or "gritty" sensation)
• Catching or limitations in motion within a specific part of the arc

It's therefore a test aimed at detecting alterations in the joint surface (cartilage wear, synovitis, loose bodies) rather than muscular or tendon issues.

Equipment needed

• A treatment table
• Nothing else — it's a fully manual test

Step-by-step protocol

1. The person lies in supine position
2. They flex the hip and knee on the side being assessed to roughly 90° or slightly more
3. Apply axial pressure through the femur (pushing the femur toward the hip, in the direction of the table) with one hand on the knee
4. While maintaining that compression, perform wide circular movements, moving the hip from adduction to abduction through different degrees of flexion (like "drawing circles" with the knee)
5. Pay attention to pain, clicking, or catching at any specific point in the arc, and note the position where it appears

Common mistakes

• Not maintaining constant axial compression during the circular movement (without compression, the test loses sensitivity)
• Moving too quickly, making it hard to pinpoint exactly where in the arc the symptom appears
• Not comparing with the contralateral side, especially in older adults, where some crepitus can be bilateral and "normal" for that person

How to interpret the result

Result	Interpretation
Full range of motion, no pain or noise	Negative — no relevant signs of intra-articular involvement on this test
Pain localized at some point in the arc, with compression	Positive — suggests possible involvement of the joint surface (wear, synovitis) in that range
Crepitus/clicking without pain	Often a common finding in older adults with no clear clinical significance on its own; assess alongside other signs
Sudden catching at a specific point	Suggests a possible intra-articular loose body or labral injury — candidate for referral for imaging

As with other special orthopedic tests, the Scour is a screening test: a positive result points toward possible joint involvement, but confirmation requires medical assessment, especially in older adults where suspicion of hip osteoarthritis is more relevant.

Related tests

The Scour test is often combined with:

• Femoroacetabular impingement test (FADIR) — both explore the hip joint from different angles and reinforce each other
• FABER test (Patrick's test) — if the Scour reproduces anterior pain, the FABER helps clarify the location and characteristics of that pain

Track and follow up

In people with suspected joint wear (for example, veteran athletes or clients with a history of hip surgery), having an objective record of whether the Scour remains positive, in what range, and at what intensity helps you decide whether a given exercise or loading progression is well tolerated. In Movalytics you can log the Scour test result alongside the rest of the hip assessment and see whether symptoms improve, stay the same, or worsen with your program.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Scour test confirm hip osteoarthritis? Not on its own. It suggests possible involvement of the joint surface, but a diagnosis of osteoarthritis requires medical assessment with imaging (X-ray). Is it normal to hear clicking in the hip without pain? Yes, it's relatively common, especially in older or very flexible people, and doesn't always indicate pathology. The most relevant finding for this test is the presence of pain, not the noise itself. Can I keep training someone with a positive Scour test? In many cases, yes — by adjusting the ranges of motion and load in exercises that reproduce the pain. However, it's worth contextualizing the finding within a broader assessment and, if in doubt, referring for medical evaluation.