Evaluation Of Glenohumeral Joint Laxity in Physically Disabled Athlete

Abstract

Alteration of glenohumeral joint external and internal range of motion is seen in athletes performancing most of sport branches.Glenohumeral joint Repetitive motions causes microtrauma at glenohumeral joint. Altered shoulder laxity can cause instability and functional imbalance. PURPOSE: the aim of the study was to determine glenohumeral joint laxity and upper extremity musculoskeletal dirsorders in athletes with physical disabilities. METHODS: 49 disabled athlete playing sport with wheelchair at least two years were participatded to the study (20 F, 29 M; mean age: 28±8.2). The athletes were categorized as 28 para archery, para table tennis, shooting players in group 1 and 21 wheelchair basketball, tennis players in group 2. Glenohumeral Joint laxity (GJL) was assessed in the athlete’s scapula maximally retracted ,laterally fixed position. In this position athlete’s arm was horizontally adducted without any rotation. The angle between the humerus shaft and the horizontal plane was measured with goniometer. All measurements were applied three times bilaterally and the best score was recorded. SF- 36 Life Quality scale, The Disability of Hand Arm and Shoulder (DASH) was applied all athletes. Due to the non-normal distributions of the test values, Mann Whitney U test was used for the differences between two groups in terms of glenohumeral joint laxity, SF-36 health survey and DASH scale. RESULTS: There was no difference between two groups regarding SF-36 Health Survey, DASH Questionnaire (p>0,05). GJL for dominant shoulder was significantly higher in group 2. (105.2°±1.64°, 100.7°±1.48°, p<0,001;group 1 and 2, respectively). GJL fon non-dominant shoulders was higher in group 2 (103.1°±1.2°, 100.7°±1.3° p<0,001; group 1 and 2, respectively). CONCLUSION: In this study, the disabled athletes has different laxity according to adaptive changes related to different kind of sports.