Reliability Study of Measuring Range of Motion Glenohumeral Joint Internal Rotation With Pressure Biofeedback Stabilization

The aims of the current study were to assess reliability of range of motion (ROM) measurement of glenohumeral internal rotation (GIR) with a pressure biofeedback stabilization (PBS) method and to compare the reliability between manual stabilization (MS) and the PBS method. In measurement of pure glenohumeral joint motion, scapular stabilization is necessary. The MS method in GIR ROM measurement was used to restrict scapular motion by pressing the palm of the tester's hand over the subject's clavicle, coracoid process, and humeral head. The PBS method was devised to maintain consistent pressure for scapular stabilization during GIR ROM measurement by using a pressure biofeedback unit. GIR ROM was measured by 2 different stabilization methods in 32 subjects with GIR deficit using a smartphone clinometer application. Repeated measurements were performed in two test sessions by two testers to confirm inter- and intra-rater reliability. After tester A performed measurements in test session 1, tester B's measurements were conducted one hour later on the same day to assess the inter-rater reliability and then tester A performed again measurements in test session 2 for confirming the intra-rater reliability. Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) (2,1) was applied to assess the inter-rater reliability and ICC (3,1) was applied to determine the intra-rater reliability of the two methods. In the PBS method, the intra-rater reliability was excellent (ICC=.91) and the inter-rater reliability was good (ICC=.84). The inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of the PBS method was higher than in the MS method. The PBS method could regulate manual scapular stabilization pressure in inter- and intra-rater measuring GIR ROM. Results of the current study recommend that the PBS method can provide reliable measurement data on GIR ROM.

[1]  Joseph M Hart,et al.  Validation of an innovative method of shoulder range-of-motion measurement using a smartphone clinometer application. , 2014, Journal of shoulder and elbow surgery.

[2]  S S Burkhart,et al.  Shoulder injuries in overhead athletes. The "dead arm" revisited. , 2000, Clinics in sports medicine.

[3]  Karen Harrison,et al.  Pressure Biofeedback: A useful tool in the quantification of abdominal muscular dysfunction? , 2000 .

[4]  M. Kolber,et al.  Shoulder Joint and Muscle Characteristics in the Recreational Weight Training Population , 2009, Journal of strength and conditioning research.

[5]  K. Wilk,et al.  Glenohumeral Internal Rotation Measurements Differ Depending on Stabilization Techniques , 2009, Sports health.

[6]  E. Sauers,et al.  Clinical Measures of Shoulder Mobility in the Professional Baseball Player. , 2005, Journal of athletic training.

[7]  L. Bigliani,et al.  Shoulder Motion and Laxity in the Professional Baseball Player , 1997, The American journal of sports medicine.

[8]  S. Haley,et al.  Interpreting change scores of tests and measures used in physical therapy. , 2006, Physical therapy.

[9]  J. J. Gerhardt,et al.  Range-of-motion measurements. , 1995, The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume.

[10]  N. Lucas,et al.  The cranio-cervical flexion test using pressure biofeedback: A useful measure of cervical dysfunction in the clinical setting? , 2005 .

[11]  J. Blackburn,et al.  Influence of Humeral Torsion on Interpretation of Posterior Shoulder Tightness Measures in Overhead Athletes , 2009, Clinical journal of sport medicine : official journal of the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine.

[12]  Jason B Lunden,et al.  Reliability of shoulder internal rotation passive range of motion measurements in the supine versus sidelying position. , 2010, The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy.

[13]  P. McClure,et al.  Frozen shoulder: evidence and a proposed model guiding rehabilitation. , 2009, The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy.

[14]  J. Warner,et al.  Recognition and treatment of refractory posterior capsular contracture of the shoulder. , 2000, Arthroscopy : the journal of arthroscopic & related surgery : official publication of the Arthroscopy Association of North America and the International Arthroscopy Association.

[15]  Paula M Ludewig,et al.  The association of scapular kinematics and glenohumeral joint pathologies. , 2009, The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy.

[16]  T. Kaminski,et al.  Rotational Motion Changes in the Glenohumeral Joint of the Adolescent/Little League Baseball Player , 2005, The American journal of sports medicine.

[17]  K. Wilk,et al.  Osseous Adaptation and Range of Motion at the Glenohumeral Joint in Professional Baseball Pitchers * , 2002, The American journal of sports medicine.

[18]  Lauren Beaupre,et al.  Evaluating change in clinical status: reliability and measures of agreement for the assessment of glenohumeral range of motion. , 2010, North American journal of sports physical therapy : NAJSPT.

[19]  K. Wilk.  Glenohumeral Muscular Strength Values in Professional Baseball Players , 2009 .

[20]  M. Kolber,et al.  Shoulder Joint and Muscle Characteristics Among Healthy Female Recreational Weight Training Participants , 2011, Journal of strength and conditioning research.

[21]  T. Tyler,et al.  Quantification of Posterior Capsule Tightness and Motion Loss in Patients with Shoulder Impingement , 2000, The American journal of sports medicine.

[22]  Jay Smith,et al.  Measuring shoulder internal rotation range of motion: a comparison of 3 techniques. , 2002, Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

[23]  W Ben Kibler,et al.  The disabled throwing shoulder: spectrum of pathology Part III: The SICK scapula, scapular dyskinesis, the kinetic chain, and rehabilitation. , 2003, Arthroscopy : the journal of arthroscopic & related surgery : official publication of the Arthroscopy Association of North America and the International Arthroscopy Association.

[24]  W Ben Kibler,et al.  The disabled throwing shoulder: spectrum of pathology Part I: pathoanatomy and biomechanics. , 2003, Arthroscopy : the journal of arthroscopic & related surgery : official publication of the Arthroscopy Association of North America and the International Arthroscopy Association.

[25]  Jill S Higginson,et al.  A bilateral comparison of posterior capsule thickness and its correlation with glenohumeral range of motion and scapular upward rotation in collegiate baseball players. , 2011, Journal of shoulder and elbow surgery.

[26]  T. Ellenbecker,et al.  Glenohumeral joint internal and external rotation range of motion in elite junior tennis players. , 1996, The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy.

[27]  T. Ellenbecker,et al.  Glenohumeral joint total rotation range of motion in elite tennis players and baseball pitchers. , 2002, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[28]  S M Howell,et al.  Normal and abnormal mechanics of the glenohumeral joint in the horizontal plane. , 1988, The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume.

[29]  J. Weir.  Quantifying test-retest reliability using the intraclass correlation coefficient and the SEM. , 2005, Journal of strength and conditioning research.

[30]  K. Laudner,et al.  The acute effects of sleeper stretches on shoulder range of motion. , 2008, Journal of athletic training.

[31]  G. Murrell,et al.  Reliability of five methods for assessing shoulder range of motion. , 2001, The Australian journal of physiotherapy.

[32]  A. Boon,et al.  Manual scapular stabilization: its effect on shoulder rotational range of motion. , 2000, Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

[33]  Sakiko Oyama,et al.  Reliability, Precision, Accuracy, and Validity of Posterior Shoulder Tightness Assessment in Overhead Athletes , 2007, The American journal of sports medicine.

[34]  T. Chiu,et al.  Performance of the craniocervical flexion test in subjects with and without chronic neck pain. , 2005, The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy.

[35]  C Gerber,et al.  Effect of Selective Capsulorrhaphy on the Passive Range of Motion of the Glenohumeral Joint , 2003, The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume.

[36]  Richard W. Bohannon,et al.  Clinical measurement of range of motion. Review of goniometry emphasizing reliability and validity. , 1987, Physical therapy.

[37]  O. Kwon,et al.  Effects of the abdominal drawing-in maneuver on muscle activity, pelvic motions, and knee flexion during active prone knee flexion in patients with lumbar extension rotation syndrome. , 2011, Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation.