Ml. Voight et al., THE EFFECTS OF MUSCLE FATIGUE ON AND THE RELATIONSHIP OF ARM DOMINANCE TO SHOULDER PROPRIOCEPTION, The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy, 23(6), 1996, pp. 348-352
It is hypothesized that proprioceptive information plays an important
role in joint stabilization and that muscle fatigue may alter proprioc
eptive ability. The purpose oi this study was to determine what effect
shoulder muscle fatigue has on glenohumeral proprioception and to exa
mine the relationship between arm dominance and shoulder proprioceptio
n. Eighty subjects without a history of glenohumeral pathology partici
pated. Each was sealed on an isokinetic dynamometer with a randomly se
lected shoulder positioned in 90 degrees oi abduction and elbow flexio
n. With vision blinded, the arm was passively positioned in 75 degrees
oi external rotation for 10 seconds, then passively returned to the n
eutral starting position. Three trials each of active and passive repo
sitioning (2 degrees/sec) were recorded. Following a fatigue protocol,
both active and passive repositioning were reassessed. Testing order
was randomized. A significant difference was detected between pre- and
post-fatigue scores. No significant difference was detected between d
ominant and nondominant extremities. No relationship between arm domin
ance and shoulder proprioception was established. It is concluded that
shoulder proprioception is diminished in the presence oi shoulder mus
cle fatigue, suggesting clinical rehabilitation protocols must emphasi
ze increasing muscular endurance.