Abstract
There is no consensus on the optimal isokinetic dynamometry parameters to clinically assess shoulder disorders. Therefore, this study aimed to establish which parameters are best able to discriminate between shoulder patients and healthy subjects, focusing on peak torques and peak torque ratios.
Isokinetic dynamometric measurements of both shoulders were made in 20 healthy subjects and these data were compared with baseline measurements in 9 patients with shoulder disorders. The different outcome measures were compared by testing for significant group differences between patients and healthy subjects and by scoring how the patient data compared to the normal range of values found in healthy subjects.
Significant differences between patients and healthy subjects were found for the peak torques, but not for the agonist-antagonist peak torque ratios. In addition, there were significant differences for the dominant/non dominant ratios of the peak torques but not for the dominant/non dominant ratios of the peak torque ratios. The percentage of patients with a standard deviation score outside the 90% normal distribution of healthy subjects was largest (>78%) for the involved/uninvolved (I/U) ratio of the peak torques.
It was concluded that bilateral comparison of peak torques is the most appropriate outcome parameter to distinguish patients from healthy subjects.