RELIABILITY OF AN ECCENTRIC ISOKINETIC PROTOCOL INVESTIGATING THE SHOULDER INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL ROTATORS AT HIGH VELOCITIES

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of peak torque, total work and work ratios eccentrically at 300º/sec using the Biodex isokinetic dynamometer. Thirty healthy men and women volunteers who exhibited no prior history of glenohumeral injury were studied. The subjects were tested bilaterally, in the scapular plane, for eccentric internal and external rotation while seated. Three total sessions using identical protocols and separated by seven days were used to calculate intraclass correlation coefficients. The results indicated reliable coefficients ranging from 0.86 to 0.96 for peak torques and total work for the dominant and non-dominant shoulder as well as the internal and external rotators. However, the coefficients for the work ratio demonstrated low reliability and ranged from 0.01 to 0.29. Another protocol is needed to identify the fatigue properties of the shoulder rotators.