STUDY DESIGN: Controlled laboratory study. OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of the modified scapular assistance test (SAT) on 3-dimensional shoulder kinematics, strength, and linear measures of subacromial space in patients with subacromial impingement syndrome (SAIS). BACKGROUND: Abnormal scapular kinematics have been identified in patients with SAIS. Increased scapular upward rotation and posterior tilt, as induced with manual assistance using the SAT, have been theorized to increase subacromial space and may alter shoulder strength. METHODS: Forty-two subjects (21 with SAIS and 21 controls) participated in this study. The anterior outlet of the subacromial space, measured via the acromiohumeral distance on ultrasound images, and 3-dimensional scapular kinematics, measured using motion analysis, were determined with the arm at rest, and at 45° and 90° of active elevation with and without the SAT. A dynamometer was used to measure isometric shoulder strength. Full factorial mixed-model analyses of variance evaluated the effects of the SAT on variables between groups. RESULTS: There was an increase in scapular posterior tilt at all angles, upward rotation at rest and 45° of elevation, and acromiohumeral distance at 45° and at 90° with the SAT. The SAT did not alter normalized isometric strength. There were no differences in response to the SAT between the SAIS and control groups. CONCLUSIONS: Manual scapular assistance using the SAT influences factors associated with SAIS, such as subacromial space and potentially scapular orientation during static arm elevation, but not more so in individuals with SAIS than in healthy individuals. The SAT performed statically may be a way to identify potential subgroups of individuals with SAIS for whom subacromial space narrowing may be a contributing factor.

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2012;42(5):400-412, Epub 27 January 2012. doi:10.2519/jospt.2012.3579

KEY WORDS: acromiohumeral distance, examination, rotator cuff disease, shoulder, ultrasound imaging

The JOSPT offers invited reviews of current titles. The October 2010 column includes 7 reviews of the following books: Orthopaedic Trauma Care; Mechanisms and Management of Pain for the Physical Therapist; Fundamentals of Musculoskeletal Imaging, Third Edition; Gait Analysis: Normal and Pathological Function, Second Edition; The Lumbar Intervertebral Disc; Spine Classifications and Severity Measures; and Physical Agents in Rehabilitation: From Research to Practice, Third Edition.

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2010;40(10):668-673.

Short-arc quadriceps exercises are commonly prescribed in physical therapy for strengthening knee extensor musculature. Determining the appropriate starting resistance has traditionally been a trial-and-error procedure. Therefore, developing an expedient method of estimating the correct starting resistance may lead to a more accurate exercise prescription. The primary purpose of this study was to establish a technique for predicting an individual's 10 repetition maximum (10 RM) based on hand-held dynamometer (HHD) strength recording and additional anthropometric predictor variables. Fifty healthy subjects (31 males and 19 females), aged 22-53 years, participated in the study. A prediction equation for determining 10 RM using HHD strength recording, weight, gender, and age was developed. By implementing this equation, clinicians can predict a normal, healthy, young to middle-aged adult's 10 RM within 2 ± 4.17 kg with a 95% confidence level (SEE = 2.13 kg).

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 1998;28(2):97-104.

Key Words: knee, muscle strength, prediction