Hung and Darling’s report, “Shoulder position sense during passive matching and active positioning tasks in individuals with unstable shoulders,” focuses on researching shoulder joint position sense deficits. They advance this research by evaluating levels of shoulder position sense errors between people with healthy shoulders and those with unstable shoulders. The study examines shoulders via both active rotation and passive matching. In particular, the research involved a group of thirty-five participants of various age groups and sex, ten with anterior instability and fifteen with healthy shoulders. The process involved rotation, passive motion, and active abduction of the shoulder in the end and mid-range motion positions for all participants. Hung and Darling found out that people with anterior shoulder instability exhibit larger errors during functional activities. Stating, “For passive matching, participants with unstable shoulders exhibited significantly larger overall RMS errors than those with healthy shoulders.” (567) However, the joint moves as accurately as those with healthy shoulders during involuntary movements, as shown by active abduction and rotation.
The purpose of Hung and Darlings’ study is to provide information about the errors in the activity of the shoulder joints after a dislocation. They intend the information to reach clinicians and researchers. Arguably, the medical practitioners can rely on the report as advanced technology such as customized Plexiglas manipulandum was used in passive matching, enhancing accuracy. The report is relevant to my topic because it addresses recurring dislocations. It explains that alteration in neuromuscular control by unstable shoulders might not be the primary cause of repeated dislocation but can be caused by factors such as returning to sports. Thus, the report is informative as it ascertains that recurrent dislocation is mainly caused by embarking on active lifestyles.
Reference
Hung Y. J., Darling W. G. (2012). Shoulder position sense during passive matching and active positioning tasks in individuals with anterior shoulder instability. PT. 2012; 92(4):563-573.