Comparison of hand grip strength and upper limb pressure pain threshold between older adults with or without non-specific shoulder pain.

Cesar Calvo Lobo,Eleuterio A Sánchez Romero,Josué Fernández Carnero,Daniel López López,Irene Sanz Corbalán,Carlos Romero Morales,David Rodríguez Sanz

doi:10.7717/peerj.2995

Abstract

BackgroundThere is a high prevalence of non-specific shoulder pain associated with upper limb functional limitations in older adults. The purpose of this study was to determine the minimal clinically important differences (MCID) of grip strength and pressure pain threshold (PPT) in the upper limb between older adults with or without non-specific shoulder pain.MethodsA case-control study was carried out following the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) criteria. A sample of 132 shoulders (mean ± SD years) with (n = 66; 76.04 ± 7.58) and without (n = 66; 75.05 ± 6.26) non-specific pain were recruited. The grip strength and PPT of the anterior deltoid and extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) muscles were assessed.ResultsThere were statistically significant differences (mean ± SD; P-value) for anterior deltoid PPT (2.51 ± 0.69 vs 3.68 ± 0.65, kg/cm2; P < .001), ECRB PPT (2.20 ± 0.60 vs 3.35 ± 0.38 kg/cm2; P < .001) and grip strength (20.78 ± 10.94 vs 24.63 ± 9.38 kg; P = .032) between shoulders with and without non-specific pain, respectively.DiscussionThe MCID of 1.17 kg/cm2, 1.15 kg/cm2 and 3.84 kg were proposed for anterior deltoid PPT, ECRB PPT and grip strength, respectively, to assess the upper limb of older adults with non-specific shoulder pain after treatment. In addition, univariate and multivariate (linear regression and regression trees) analyses may be used to consider age distribution, sex, pain intensity, grip strength and PPT in older adults including clinical and epidemiological studies with non-specific shoulder pain.

Highlights

The aging population has a high prevalence of non-specific shoulder pain (31% with severe pain intensity) and associated functional limitations (36% with greater difficulty performing daily tasks associated with reduced internal rotation)
Non-specific shoulder pain is associated with myofascial pain syndrome (MPS), and treatment can reduce pain intensity, increase pressure pain threshold (PPT) and modify grip strength in the upper limbs of older adults (Calvo, Pacheco & Hita, 2015; Calvo-Lobo et al, 2016)
The minimal clinically important differences (MCID) of 1.17 kg/cm2, 1.15 kg/cm2 and 3.84 kg were proposed for anterior deltoid PPT, extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) PPT and grip strength, respectively, to treat older adults with non-specific shoulder pain (Figs. 1–3)

Summary

Introduction

The aging population has a high prevalence of non-specific shoulder pain (31% with severe pain intensity) and associated functional limitations (36% with greater difficulty performing daily tasks associated with reduced internal rotation). The purpose of this study was to determine the minimal clinically important differences (MCID) of grip strength and pressure pain threshold (PPT) in the upper limb between older adults with or without non-specific shoulder pain. The MCID of 1.17 kg/cm2, 1.15 kg/cm and 3.84 kg were proposed for anterior deltoid PPT, ECRB PPT and grip strength, respectively, to assess the upper limb of older adults with non-specific shoulder pain after treatment. Univariate and multivariate (linear regression and regression trees) analyses may be used to consider age distribution, sex, pain intensity, grip strength and PPT in older adults including clinical and epidemiological studies with non-specific shoulder pain

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