Measures of knee internal and external rotation made with a digital inclinometer are consistent with the measures made with an electromagnetic tracking system.

Purpose: Individuals with excessive knee rotation have higher levels of dysfunction and disability. An inexpensive, and reliable method to assess knee internal (IR) and external (ER) rotation will improve the assessment of knee injuries. The study explored the reliability and measurement error of two methods of knee rotation measurement.

Lower leg muscle activation during the ebbets foot drills.

Lateral ankle sprains (LAS) often lead to chronic ankle instability (CAI). The Ebbets foot drills were created to strengthen the lower leg muscles and reduce the risk of LAS. The current study aimed to explore the activation of the lower leg muscles during the Ebbets foot drills.

Youth throwing athletes do not show bilateral differences in medial elbow width or flexor tendon thickness.

Background: Medial elbow laxity develops in throwing athletes due to valgus forces. Medial elbow instability in professional, collegiate, and high school athletes is well documented; however, the medial elbow of young throwing athletes has received less attention. This study investigated the medial elbow and common flexor tendon during applied elbow valgus stress of youth baseball players.

Serratus Anterior Fatigue Reduces Scapular Posterior Tilt and External Rotation During Arm Elevation.

Context: Fatigue of the scapular stabilizing muscles resulting from repeated arm motion has been reported to alter scapular kinematics, which could result in shoulder pathology, especially impingement.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the effects of fatigue of the serratus anterior muscle on scapular kinematics, specifically, decrease scapular posterior tilt and upward scapular rotation during arm elevation.

Design: Repeated measures.

Musculoskeletal Injury in Reserve Officers' Training Corps: A Report From the Athletic Training Practice-Based Research Network.

Background: Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) cadets must meet the same physical standards as active duty military servicemembers and undergo organized physical training (PT). ROTC participation, like all physical activity, can result in training-related musculoskeletal injury (MSKI), and of course, cadets could sustain MSKI outside of ROTC. However, MSKI incidence in ROTC programs is largely unknown.

Musicians Have Thicker Median Nerve Cross Sectional Area and More Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Than Non-Musicians.

Aims: Musicians spend numerous hours perfecting their skills and art, often leading to overuse injuries of the hand; of specific concern to musicians is carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). This study evaluated the median nerve cross-sectional area and hand function of musicians and made comparisons to non-musicians.

Methods: Seventy-six participants took part in the study, 38 music students and professors in the musician group and 38 participants in the control group.

The Effect of Repeated Shoulder Motion on Scapular Dyskinesis in Army ROTC Cadets.

Introduction: Altered or abnormal scapular motion has been associated with increased shoulder pain and dysfunction. Fatigue of the scapular stabilizing muscles resulting from repeated arm motion has been reported to alter scapular kinematics, which could result in the clinical assessment of scapular dyskinesis. The purpose of this study was to characterize the effect of repeated arm motion on the development of scapular dyskinesis.

Wrist Flexion Exercise Increases the Width of the Medial Elbow Joint Space During a Valgus Stress Test.

Objectives: The medial elbow is stabilized during valgus loading by the ulnar collateral ligament, the flexor pronator mass (FPM), and the radial head. Impairment of the FPM can occur as a result of repeated wrist flexion activity. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of repeated elbow flexion exercise on medial elbow stability.

Ultrasound-Assisted Assessment of Medial Elbow Stability.

Objectives: An assessment of medial elbow stability is essential to the patient with an ulnar collateral ligament injury. Ultrasound imaging can be used to assess medial elbow stability. This study determined the effect of the elbow flexion angle on the medial elbow joint space during clinical tests of medial elbow stability.

Effect of Arm Position on Width of the Subacromial Space of Upper String Musicians.

Objective: Musicians often end their musical career due to musculoskeletal injury. A leading source of shoulder pain in upper string musicians is rotator cuff disease (RCD). Multiple factors contribute to its development.

Full can test: Mechanisms of a positive test in patients with shoulder pain.

Background: The full can test is theorized to produce compressive loads on the supraspinatus tendon within the subacromial space. Characterizing the width of the subacromial outlet, scapular orientation, and shoulder pain during the full can test will improve the mechanistic understanding of the positive full can test.

Methods: Cross-sectional repeated measures design.

Relative scapular muscle activity ratios are altered in subacromial pain syndrome.

Background: Coordinated muscle activity is needed for synchronized joint motion and stability. Characterizing relative scapular muscle activity deficits in participants with shoulder pain will provide foundational knowledge to develop rehabilitation programs.

Methods: Participants were recruited with subacromial pain syndrome and an asymptomatic control group matched for age, gender, and dominant arm (N = 56).

Electrical stimulation and blood flow restriction increase wrist extensor cross-sectional area and flow meditated dilatation following spinal cord injury.

Purpose: To examine the effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and blood flow restricted (BFR) exercise on wrist extensors cross-sectional area (CSA), torque and hand functions compared NMES only in individuals with incomplete tetraplegia. The acute effect of an acute bout of NMES with BFR on flow mediated dilation (FMD) was compared with BFR only.

Method: Nine men completed 6 weeks twice weekly of bilateral NMES training of the wrist extensor muscles.

Biomechanical measures in participants with shoulder pain: Intra-rater reliability.

Biomechanical measures are used to characterize the mechanisms of treatment for shoulder pain. The objective was to characterize test-retest reliability and measurement error of shoulder surface electromyographic(sEMG) and kinematic measures. Individuals(n = 12) with subacromial pain syndrome were tested at 2 visits.

Empty can exercise provokes more pain and has undesirable biomechanics compared with the full can exercise.

Background: The purpose of this investigation was to characterize the scapular position and scapular muscle activation during the empty can (EC) and full can (FC) exercises. The EC exercise has been shown to produce scapular kinematics associated with the mechanism leading to subacromial impingement syndrome (SAIS) but has not been investigated in patients with (SAIS). This investigation will help improve the treatment of patients with SAIS.

Visual scapular dyskinesis: kinematics and muscle activity alterations in patients with subacromial impingement syndrome.

Objective: To characterize scapular kinematics and shoulder muscle activity in patients with subacromial impingement syndrome, with and without visually identified scapular dyskinesis.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Laboratory.

Intra-rater reliability of ultrasound imaging of wrist extensor muscles in patients with tetraplegia.

Objectives: (i) To determine the intra-rater reliability and precision of the ultrasound cross-sectional area (CSA) measurements of the wrist extensors in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), and (ii) to determine whether tetraplegia has a negative influence on the reliability and precision for these measurements.

Design: A repeated-measures cross-sectional study.

Settings: Clinical hospital and academic settings.

Supraspinatus tendon and subacromial space parameters measured on ultrasonographic imaging in subacromial impingement syndrome.

Purpose: To characterize the supraspinatus tendon thickness, subacromial space, and the relationship between tendon thickness and subacromial space to further elucidate the mechanisms of subacromial impingement syndrome.

Methods: In a single-blind cross-sectional study, subjects were recruited with subacromial impingement syndrome (n = 20) and asymptomatic controls (n = 20) matched for age, gender, and hand dominance. Ultrasound images were collected using a 4-12-MHz linear transducer in B-mode of the supraspinatus tendon in the transverse (short axis) and the anterior aspect of the subacromial space outlet.

Differences in scapular orientation, subacromial space and shoulder pain between the full can and empty can tests.

Background: The empty and full can arm positions are used as diagnostic tests and in therapeutic exercise programs for patients with subacromial impingement syndrome. The adverse effects of these arm positions on the rotator cuff have not been fully described. The purpose of this investigation was to compare the acromio-humeral distance, three-dimensional scapular position, and shoulder pain during maximum isometric contractions in the empty and full can arm positions.

Scapular kinematics and subacromial-impingement syndrome: a meta-analysis.

Context: The literature does not present a consistent pattern of altered scapular kinematics in patients with shoulder-impingement syndrome (SIS).

Objectives: To perform meta-analyses of published comparative studies to determine the consistent differences in scapular kinematics between subjects with SIS and controls. In addition, the purpose was to analyze factors of the data-collection methods to explain the inconsistencies in reported kinematics.

Scapular muscle activity in overhead athletes with symptoms of secondary shoulder impingement during closed chain exercises.

Objective: To determine the amount of muscle activation in 4 scapular muscles in overhead athletes with and without a history of secondary shoulder impingement, during 3 upper extremity closed chain exercises.

Design: One-between (group), one-within (exercise) repeated measures.

Setting: Controlled laboratory study.

The effect of arm abduction angle and contraction intensity on perceived exertion.

The objective of the present investigation was to examine the effects of voluntary contraction intensity and arm elevation angle on ratings of perceived exertion in healthy young adults. Twelve healthy young adults participated in six separate experimental sessions, during which maximal and sub-maximal arm abduction contractions were performed at one of the following randomly assigned arm angles: 15 degrees , 30 degrees , 45 degrees , 60 degrees , 75 degrees , and 90 degrees arm angles (degrees). The sub-maximal arm abduction contractions (10 s) were performed to target intensities ranging from 10 to 90% of the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), in randomly ordered 10% increments.

Test-retest reliability of cardinal plane isokinetic hip torque and EMG.

The objective of the present study was to establish test-retest reliability of isokinetic hip torque and prime mover electromyogram (EMG) through the three cardinal planes of motion. Thirteen healthy young adults participated in two experimental sessions, separated by approximately one week. During each session, isokinetic hip torque was evaluated on the Biodex Isokinetic Dynamometer at a velocity of 60 deg/s.

Quadriceps femoris electromyogram during concentric, isometric and eccentric phases of fatiguing dynamic knee extensions.

The objective of this study was to examine the superficial quadriceps femoris (QF) muscle electromyogram (EMG) during fatiguing knee extensions. Thirty young adults were evaluated for their one-repetition maximum (1RM) during a seated, right-leg, inertial knee extension. All subjects then completed a single set of repeated knee extensions at 50% 1RM, to failure.

Scapular-Positioning Patterns During Humeral Elevation in Unimpaired Shoulders.

OBJECTIVE: To assess scapular-positioning patterns using a static measurement technique. DESIGN AND SETTING: We used a 4-within-factor design to compare scapular upward rotation among subjects. The within factors included side (dominant, nondominant), plane of motion (scapular, sagittal), direction of motion (ascending, descending), and level of humeral rotation (rest, 30 degrees, 60 degrees, 90 degrees, 120 degrees ).