Basic scienceExperimental pain inhibits infraspinatus activation during isometric external rotation
Section snippets
Materials and methods
All participants in this study reviewed and signed informed consent forms that were approved by Arcadia University's Institutional Review Board.
Results
All injections produced dull or diffuse pain in the anterior and lateral regions of the upper arm. The pain in 4 of 17 participants was also perceived into the forearm (Fig. 2, A). Complete data were obtained on all but 1 participant. This person had a syncopal episode approximately 30 seconds after the injection, which resolved quickly after immediate removal from the chair and lying down. Upon further questioning, we found that this person had a history of syncope and claustrophobia, which we
Discussion
In this study, acute experimental subacromial pain decreased VA of the infraspinatus and subsequently reduced maximum voluntary external rotation force. We recognize that this model of acute pain may be different than the clinical pain related to rotator cuff pathologies. Studies examining clinical populations with shoulder pain associated with rotator cuff pathology indicate that the average pain intensity experienced was rated 4 of 10 on a NPRS16, 20 and approximately 7 of 10 with movement.16
Conclusion
This study supports the concept that acute subacromial pain affects rotator cuff muscle recruitment and function, which may contribute to abnormal shoulder mechanics in patients with rotator cuff pathology. External rotation force and VA of the infraspinatus are closely related, and both are inhibited by subacromial shoulder pain.
Disclaimer
Material support for data collections was provided, in part, by the Arcadia University Stacy Anne Vitetta '82 Professorship to Scott K. Stackhouse.
The authors, their immediate families, and any research foundations with which they are affiliated have not received any financial payments or other benefits from any commercial entity related to the subject of this article.
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2021, Physiotherapy (United Kingdom)Citation Excerpt :Manual resistance was applied by the PT at the patient’s forearm, with the wrist and hand in neutral rotation. Rotator cuff dysfunction was defined as the provocation of pain during testing, because muscle force is an unreliable measure when pain is present [7,26]. The third component, scapular kinematics, was assessed according to the classification of Kibler et al. [27].
This study was approved on January 18, 2010, by Arcadia University's Committee on the Protection of Research Subjects, Protocol No.: 10-01-02.