Relationship between rotator cuff and hand grip strength in shoulder tendinopathy / Ahmad Mohammad Fawzy Tawfiq ; Supervised Nadia Abdelazeem Fayaz , Khaled Elsayed Ayad , Mohammed Bahi Elden Elshafie

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Physical Therapy - Department of Musculoskeletal Disorders

Background: Shoulder pain as a result of rotator cuff pathology is one of the most common musculoskeletal complaints presenting within primary care. Assessment of handgrip strength (HGS) has been proposed as an indicator of rotator cuff function. Purpose: The main objective of the study was to investigate whether or not there is a relationship between shoulder lateral rotators strength (LRS) and (HGS) and whether or not there is a relationship between shoulder LRS and pain in patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy (RCT). Subjects and Methods: Fifty patients with RCT aged between 20 to 40 years participated in this study. They were referred from orthopaedic physician and their diagnoses were confirmed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or sonography. Shoulder LRS (measured with hand held dynamometer), HGS (measured with hand grip dynamometer) and pain (measured with visual analogue scale) were measured with the arm in three different positions: neutral shoulder position, 90{u00B0} shoulder abduction and 90{u00B0} shoulder abduction with 90{u00B0} external rotation (ER). Results: statistics showed a strong positive correlation between shoulder LRS and HGS in 90{u00B0} shoulder abduction and 90{u00B0} shoulder abduction with 90{u00B0} ER and a weak positive correlation in neutral shoulder position (r = 0.850, r = 0.820, r = 0.351 respectively). A strong negative correlation between shoulder LRS and pain in the same three positions (r = - 0.847, r = - 0.771 and r = - 0.697 respectively)

Issued also as CD