Mistook a shoulder injury for a pinched nerve, PT saved me from surgery

Last month at my clinic in Boise, I had a patient come in complaining about shooting pain down their arm. I was sure it was a cervical radiculopathy, just a pinched nerve. I had them do the Spurling test and everything looked classic, so I gave them some nerve flossing and a neck routine. But after two sessions with zero progress, I stopped and really looked at their shoulder blade movement. Turns out it was a labral tear that was referring pain, and the PT I consulted found it in like 10 minutes. I felt pretty dumb, but now I always check scapular control first. Has anyone else had a near-miss diagnosis that changed how they assess clients?

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