Participants with restricted dominant shoulder internal rotation range of motion demonstrate no side-to-side difference in humeral head translation; and no difference before and after joint mobilization: a pilot study.
John F Hoops, Troy L Hooper, Stéphane Sobczak and 4 others
PMID 38694012WHAT IT FOUND
Posterior glide mobilization increased dominant shoulder internal rotation by about 10 degrees in overhead athletes with range loss, but did not change humeral head translation.
The small sample and healthy participants mean these findings cannot guide clinical decisions.
Key findings
01Posterior glide mobilizations significantly increased dominant shoulder internal rotation range of motion, but did not significantly alter humeral head translation during arm elevation.
02No significant side-to-side differences in humeral head translation were found between dominant and non-dominant shoulders in participants with internal rotation deficits.
03The bicipital forearm angle, used to estimate humeral retroversion, did not correlate with humeral head translation before or after mobilization.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study had only 15 participants, which is too small to detect modest differences in humeral head translation and prone to type 2 errors. Participants were healthy with small internal rotation deficits (mean 18.1 degrees) and no current shoulder pain or disability, so results do not apply to injured athletes. Measurements were taken immediately after a single session, so it is unknown whether range gains or translation changes persist. Ultrasound images were static, meaning they may not reflect humeral head movement during actual dynamic arm elevation.
Declared interests
The authors have no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that improving internal rotation range of motion with mobilization corrects abnormal humeral head translation. The study found range gains but no significant change in translation, and the small, healthy sample means these null findings are uncertain.