Proprioceptive abilities of patients with post-traumatic instability of the glenohumeral joint

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate joint position sense (JPS) in patients with posttraumatic glenohumeral instability. In 28 patients with posttraumatic instability and in a matched control group of 30 subjects proprioception capability was evaluated. For documentation of proprioception an angle reproduction test (ART) was performed with which joint positions sense (JPS) was measured for abduction, flexion, and rotation in three angles each. In both groups there was a significant better JPS with visual control than without. In contrast to the control group the patients were not able to increase angle reproduction capability without visual control when comparing positions below shoulder level with positions at or above shoulder level. When comparing the patients to the controls there were differences in most of the ARTs with worse results in the patient group. These differences were significant in 150 degrees flexion with and without visual control, in 150 degrees abduction without and in 100 degrees abduction with visual control. For rotation there were trends for almost all joint positions, however, the differences were significant only in the -45 position. When comparing the noninjured contralateral shoulder of the patients with the control group, there still were differences. Again these were not in all joint positions significant, but significant worse JPS could be demonstrated in 150 degrees abduction without visual control, 50 degrees flexion without visual control, -45 degrees rotation without and 0 degrees rotation with visual control. A proprioceptive deficit can be documented in patients with posttraumatic glenohumeral instability. This may be one reason for permanent instability. The contralateral joint also shows reduction in joint position sense. For consecutive treatment as well as for rehabilitation both shoulder joint should be addressed.