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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
Monitor the pelvis and trunk to reduce excessive movement.
Avoid forcing pelvic stabilisation. The goal is controlled hip movement with meaningful symptom recording.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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
The Scour Test can be provocative. Use controlled movement and avoid aggressive compression or repeated painful arcs.
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
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 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 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
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.
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.
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
It assesses symptom response during compressed hip movement and may support reasoning around intra-articular hip involvement.
Yes. The Scour Test is commonly called the hip quadrant test or quadrant scour test.
A positive finding may include familiar hip or groin pain, painful clicking, catching, grinding, apprehension or symptom reproduction during the movement arc.
No. It may support suspicion of intra-articular involvement, but it does not confirm a labral tear.
No. A negative result does not fully exclude hip involvement.
No. Compression should be controlled and tolerable. Aggressive compression can make the test less useful and more provocative than necessary.
Yes. Recording the position where symptoms occur improves retest consistency and interpretation.
History, hip range of motion, FABER, FADIR, Log Roll, Fitzgerald, strength testing, gait and functional assessment.
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.
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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
