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Get That Shoulder to Move: Restoring Internal RotationBy Justin Hildebrand, DC How many times have you mobilized, performed ART, Graston, FAKTR and PIR, and stripped a patient's posterior capsule, yet on re-exam, discovered it was still blocked? Internal rotation (IR) of the shoulder is commonly diminished in overhead athletes (e.g., baseball pitchers), as well as the general population. A decrease in IR can often be attributed to overactive or shortened infraspinatus or teres minor muscles, and joint dysfunction due to capsular contraction of the posterior shoulder ligaments. This loss of mobility is so common that the term glenohumeral internal rotation deficit (GIRD) is used to describe it.Verifying Capsular Tightness Checking passive IR at 90 degrees of abduction is standard procedure. IR should measure 75-85 degrees. According to Neumann,1 posterior capsule restriction is associated with anterior displacement or decentration of the humeral head during internal rotation. He also states that tension in the infraspinatus can limit the amount of slack in the posterior capsule due to its attachment to the capsule. Dashottar2 describes that to properly check for capsular tightness, the glenohumeral (GH) joint must be placed in flexion and IR; and conversely, while checking for muscular tightness, the GH joint should be placed in extension. This implies that placing the patient supine with the shoulder in 90 degrees abduction and checking passive IR does not distinguish capsular versus muscle dysfunction.
"Neurological tightness" refers to tightness due to CNS factors and will not likely change without decreasing tonicity in tonic muscles, activating phasic muscles and creating maximum load-bearing in joints. If one aspect is ignored, then the neuromuscular strategy will not be efficient and the CNS will choose the most convenient pathway to perform the activity. Treatment Considerations When the shoulder joint is decentrated, the muscles are not allowed to work synergistically and compensation occurs. The posterior capsule will continuously appear shortened, as will the infraspinatus and teres minor. We must activate the pelvic and respiratory diaphragm to create stability of the lumbar spine; create elongation of the spine to activate the deep stabilizing system (deep neck flexors, multifidus, intersegmental vertebral muscles, transverse abdominis, and obliques); and centrate the shoulder and hip joints to allow for synergy of the stabilizers and prime movers. By recruiting the abdominal canister and the stabilizing system of the spine, the correct CNS program can be activated, proper joint kinematics exercised and IR restored. Commonly, the "sleeper stretch" is used to lengthen the posterior shoulder and increase internal rotation. With the patient in a seated position, this stretch mimics the Hawkins-Kennedy test for shoulder impingement. Performing the sleeper stretch induces GH joint impingement.3
In a small cohort (n=11) of healthy, young-adult chiropractic students, an average of 11.5 degrees of increased GH internal rotation was observed after performing the "RT2 Supported" exercise. All participants demonstrated an immediate increase in range of motion ranging from 1-21 degrees. Based upon this pilot study, future research is planned to look at both the short-term and long-term effects of this exercise protocol. An Exercise to Increase GH Internal Rotation The following details setup and performance of the "RT2 Supported" exercise, as presented by Rich Cohen and based on concepts in movement development seen in the works of Vojta. This exercise activates the abdominal chains. Perform as follows. [See images for setup and performance presentations.] Setup:
Notes:
Vojta's protocol loads the humeral head, which allows one to roll into a crawling position. This facilitates the raising mechanism of pectoralis, lateral rotators, and abductors of the shoulders. Reflex Turning 2 exercises can help activate the abdominal chains, which will increase the rotation of extremities by restoring the elongation of the spine and the cross-chain patterns of the abdominals.5 Incorporating these principles will likely help restore CNS programming and joint centration, and decrease glenohumeral internal rotation deficits. References
For a larger discussion of joint centration, read Dr. Hildebrand's article from the June 17, 2012 issue: "Centration: A Clinical Rehabilitation Approach." |
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