None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The serratus anterior is an important muscle that assists in the control of the shoulder blade and movement of the arm. We know that serratus anterior muscle activity is affected in painful shoulders, and is often targeted by physiotherapists for the treatment of shoulder pain. We are conducting this study to compare if Real-time ultrasound (RTUS) is more effective than manual facilitation in the rehabilitation of serratus anterior muscle. We expect that both interventions will improve activation of the serratus anterior, but that there will be better activation of the muscle with RTUS
Interventions
On one session only, a physiotherapist with 5 years experience will use real time ultrasound, limited manual facilitation and standardised verbal instruction (using a script) to teach activation of the serratus anterior, Participants will be able to view the real time ultrasound image during the intervention phase. Ten repetitions will be used. Each contraction will last approximately 3 seconds long, with a rest period between contractions of approximately 2 seconds. Manual facilitation will be
On one session only, a physiotherapist with 5 years experience will use real time ultrasound, limited manual facilitation and standardised verbal instruction (using a script) to teach activation of the serratus anterior, Participants will be able to view the real time ultrasound image during the intervention phase. Ten repetitions will be used. Each contraction will last approximately 3 seconds long, with a rest period between contractions of approximately 2 seconds. Manual facilitation will be limited in this group, as the treating physiotherapist will only use one hand at the elbow to guide the participant to complete the correct movement. The other hand will be used to maintain real time ultrasound transducer contact with the skin over serratus anterior. This will be conducted in supine, with the glenohumeral joint at approximately 90 degrees of flexion. This will take place at an ultrasonography laboratory of the medical imaging department of an Australian University. The entire session will take approximately 45 minutes (including assessment). This is a crossover trial with a washout period of at least 7 days between interventions.
Sponsors
Curtin University
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Crossover
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
i) diagnosed SAPS, or undiagnosed shoulder pain with clinical features of anterior or anterior-lateral shoulder pain, ii)pain values greater than verbal Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) 2/10 for at least the past week, iii) able to achieve 110-degrees of shoulder flexion.
Exclusion criteria
i) Bilateral shoulder pain, ii) Frozen shoulder defined by an inability to place the hand behind back or hand behind head, iii) recent dislocation in previous two months, iv) surgical intervention in either shoulder in the previous six months v) arm pain with neck movement, vi) neural symptoms in the upper limb, vii) concurrent elbow or wrist injury limiting the ability to attain maximal effort isometric “serratus punch”, viii) non-English speaking, and ix) a known skin allergy to tape (namely double sided tape).
Outcome results
None listed