Bulletin

Issue: May 2005

News

La Trobe developing new tool for physiotherapists

La Trobe University is working to develop a new clinical tool to help physiotherapists ascertain the progress of treatment for certain shoulder problems.

It will take the form of a database which for the first time will enable physiotherapists to gauge whether their shoulder rehabilitation program has caused real physiological changes in the activation patterns of muscles around the shoulder region.

This will be done by comparing the electrical activity (EMG) of normal healthy shoulder muscles with the EMG of a person with, for example, a shoulder laxity problem like multidirectional instability.

EMG, or electromyography is the measurement of electrical activity muscles produce when performing various movements.

Lecturer in human anatomy, Dr James Wickham, will work with physiotherapy lecturer, Dr Tania Pizzari, honours student Ms Katie Stransfeld, and 20 volunteers from La Trobe staff and students to develop the database.

Dr Wickham said exercise programs for the rehabilitation of shoulder pathologies were written in accordance with what is currently known about the functional anatomy and biomechanics of the shoulder complex.

‘Much of this knowledge comes from EMG studies that determine which muscles are involved in certain movements and how much force these muscles exert during these movements. However these studies have not been able to provide a comprehensive overview of shoulder muscle function during certain movements.

‘We believe a new approach is necessary and to this end we will produce our own reference database from our 20 volunteers with healthy shoulders which can be used to detect any differences that may become apparent when comparing the EMGs of normal and abnormal shoulder muscle activation patterns,’ Dr Wickham said.

When the data has been collected and analysed later this year and next, leading Melbourne shoulder rehabilitation physiotherapist, Ms Lyn Watson, will use it in clinical trials.

‘Basically we will be looking at the quantification of “normal patterns” of shoulder muscle activity in our 20 volunteers who will perform a variety of shoulder joint movements,’ Dr Wickham said.

Wearing ten surface electrodes and five intramuscular fine wire electrodes placed in or on muscles around the shoulder joint, the volunteers’ EMGs will be recorded for up to three hours as they perform a series of movements of the shoulder joint against light resistance.

The movements will enable the EMG’s of 15 shoulder muscles to be recorded.

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