Clinical Signs Beginning With S

28 signs in this guide begin with the letter S. Every name links to a page explaining what the sign is, how it is elicited on examination, what a positive finding is associated with, and — for eponyms — who the sign is named after.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y

Sign	System	A positive finding is associated with
Scabies burrows	Skin & Nails	Associated with scabies infestation; intense itching, worst at night, is the usual companion symptom.
Schamroth's sign	Chest & Breathing	A bedside test associated with finger clubbing and its underlying causes.
Schober's test	Muscles, Bones & Joints	Associated with reduced lumbar spine flexibility, classically in ankylosing spondylitis.
Sclerodactyly	Skin & Nails	Associated with systemic sclerosis (scleroderma).
Setting-sun sign	Neurology	Associated with hydrocephalus and raised intracranial pressure in infancy.
Shagreen patch	Skin & Nails	Associated with tuberous sclerosis complex.
Shawl sign	Skin & Nails	Associated with dermatomyositis.
Shifting dullness	General, Eyes & Ears	Associated with free fluid in the peritoneal cavity (ascites).
Shoulder apprehension test	Muscles, Bones & Joints	Associated with anterior shoulder instability after dislocation.
Sister Mary Joseph nodule	Abdomen & Digestion	Associated with metastatic spread of an abdominal or pelvic cancer to the umbilicus.
Slow-rising pulse	Heart & Circulation	Associated with significant aortic valve stenosis.
Slump test	Muscles, Bones & Joints	Associated with irritation of the sciatic nerve and its roots (neural tension).
Snout reflex	Neurology	A primitive (frontal release) reflex associated with frontal cerebral dysfunction in adults.
Spalding's sign	Pregnancy & Women's Health	Associated with intrauterine fetal death, appearing about a week after death.
Speed's test	Muscles, Bones & Joints	Associated with disease of the long head of the biceps tendon (biceps tendinopathy or SLAP lesions).
Spider naevi	Skin & Nails	A few can be normal, especially in children and pregnancy; many are associated with liver disease and raised oestrogen levels.
Splinter haemorrhages	Blood & Lymph	Most often caused by minor trauma, but associated in the right setting with infective endocarditis and vasculitis.
Spurling's test	Muscles, Bones & Joints	Associated with compression of a cervical nerve root in the neck, as in cervical radiculopathy.
Stellwag's sign	Hormones & Metabolism	Associated with thyroid eye disease (Graves' ophthalmopathy).
Stemmer's sign	General, Eyes & Ears	Associated with lymphoedema rather than oedema from heart, kidney or vein causes.
Sternal tenderness	Blood & Lymph	Associated with expansion of the bone marrow in some leukaemias; also occurs with local injury and inflammation.
Strawberry tongue	General, Eyes & Ears	Associated with scarlet fever, Kawasaki disease and toxic shock syndrome.
Striae gravidarum	Pregnancy & Women's Health	A normal skin change associated with pregnancy, from stretching and hormonal effects on the skin.
Stridor	Chest & Breathing	Associated with upper airway obstruction, such as croup, epiglottitis or an inhaled foreign body — an emergency sign in children.
Succussion splash	Abdomen & Digestion	Associated with gastric outlet obstruction (in the stomach) or with air and fluid in the chest cavity (hydropneumothorax).
Sucking reflex	Neurology	A primitive reflex; its re-emergence in adults is associated with frontal lobe dysfunction.
Superior vena cava obstruction	General, Eyes & Ears	Associated with blockage of the superior vena cava, most often by a tumour or enlarged nodes in the chest, and sometimes by a clot around a central line.
Swan-neck deformity	Muscles, Bones & Joints	Associated with rheumatoid arthritis and with mallet finger injuries left untreated.

Please note: This page is an educational reference about clinical examination signs. A clinical sign supports — and never replaces — a full clinical evaluation, examination and appropriate testing. A sign being present does not by itself prove a diagnosis, and an absent sign does not rule one out. If you have symptoms that worry you, see a health professional.

Clinical Signs Beginning With S

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