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ISOKINETIC STRENGTH AFTER TEARS OF THE SUPRASPINATUS TENDON

Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Akita University School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Hondo, Akita 010, Japan.

S. Tabata, MD, Director

Iwaki Kyoritsu General Hospital, Kusehara 16, Mimayamachi, Uchigo, Iwaki 973, Japan.

Correspondence should be sent to Dr E. Itoi.

We measured the isokinetic strength of abduction, adduction, internal rotation, and external rotation in ten patients with full-thickness tears of the supraspinatus and ten with partial-thickness tears. The measurements were repeated after intra-articular or intrabursal injection of local anaesthetic.

Pain blocks produced significant increases in strength in both full and partial-thickness tears. After the block, the strength in full-thickness tears compared with the opposite side was 67% to 81% in abduction and 67% to 78% in external rotation, both significantly smaller than those on the uninvolved side (p = 0.0064, p = 0.0170). In partial-thickness tears the strength after the block ranged from 82% to 111%, with no significant differences between the involved and uninvolved sides.

The decreases in strength of 19% to 33% in abduction and 22% to 33% in external rotation after full-thickness tears appear to represent the contribution of supraspinatus to the strength of the shoulder.