Adson's sign is seen when the head is turned to the side during deep inspiration, when there is loss of the radial pulse

Pulse

In medicine, one's pulse represents the tactile arterial palpation of the heartbeat by trained fingertips. The pulse may be palpated in any place that allows an artery to be compressed against a bone, such as at the neck , at the wrist , behind the knee , on the inside of the elbow , and near the...

 in the arm.

It is sometimes used as a sign of thoracic outlet syndrome

Thoracic outlet syndrome

Thoracic outlet syndrome is a syndrome involving compression at the superior thoracic outlet involving compression of a neurovascular bundle passing between the anterior scalene and middle scalene...

 (TOS).

It is named for Alfred Washington Adson

Alfred Washington Adson

Alfred Washington Adson was an American doctor.Adson's sign is named for him.-Further reading:...

.

Limitations, and pathophysiology of thoracic outlet syndrome

Adson's sign is no longer used as a positive diagnosis of TOS since many people without TOS will show a positive Adson's.

There is minimal evidence of interexaminer reliability.

Thoracic outlet obstruction may be caused by a number of abnormalities, including degenerative or bony disorders, trauma to the cervical spine, fibromuscular bands, vascular abnormalities, and spasm of the anterior scalene muscle. Symptoms are due to compression of the brachial plexus

Brachial plexus

The brachial plexus is a network of nerve fibers, running from the spine, formed by the ventral rami of the lower four cervical and first thoracic nerve roots...

 and subclavian vasculature

Subclavian artery

In human anatomy, the subclavian arteries are two major arteries of the upper thorax , below the clavicle . They receive blood from the top of the aorta...

, and consist of complaints ranging from diffuse arm pain to a sensation of arm fatigue, frequently aggravated by carrying anything in the ipsilateral hand or doing overhead work such as window cleaning.

Process

As cited in the literature the Adson's sign is loss of radial pulse while turning the head to the ipsilateral side, slightly elevating the chin and breathing in.

How to perform Adson's Test: With the patient in a sitting position, hands resting on thighs, the examiner palpates (feels) both radial pulses as the patient rapidly fills the lungs by deep inspiration and, with breath held, hyperextends the neck and turns the head toward the 'affected' side. If the radial pulse on that side is decidedly or completely obliterated, the result is considered positive.