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Published on: March 12, 2021
Proprioception 3 years after shoulder arthroplasty in 3D motion analysis: a prospective study
Michael W Maier1, Mirjam Niklasch, Thomas Dreher
1Department of Orthopedics, Trauma Surgery and Paraplegiology, University of Heidelberg, Schlierbacher Landstraße 200a, Heidelberg, Germany. michael.maier@med.uni-heidelberg.de
Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery
|March 10, 2012
Summary
Shoulder replacement surgery, including total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) and hemiarthroplasty (HEMI), can lead to a significant decline in proprioception over three years. Hemiarthroplasty showed a more pronounced deterioration in joint position sense.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Proprioception is crucial for shoulder joint function and stability.
- Shoulder osteoarthritis often necessitates surgical intervention like arthroplasty.
- Understanding proprioceptive changes post-surgery is vital for patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prospectively evaluate the long-term development of proprioception after shoulder arthroplasty.
- To compare proprioceptive changes between total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) and hemiarthroplasty (HEMI).
Main Methods:
- A prospective study involving 21 patients undergoing TSA (n=10) or HEMI (n=11) for osteoarthritis.
- Proprioception was assessed using an active angle-reproduction (AAR) test before surgery, at 6 months, and 3 years post-surgery.
- Motion analysis techniques were employed to measure joint position sense accuracy.
Main Results:
- Overall proprioception significantly deteriorated 3 years after shoulder arthroplasty (p=0.017) compared to pre-operative levels.
- Post-operative proprioception was significantly worse than in a control group (p=0.030).
- The HEMI subgroup experienced a significant deterioration in proprioception at 30° external rotation (p=0.031) and showed worse proprioception than the TSA subgroup (p=0.046).
Conclusions:
- Proprioception, measured by AAR, either remained unchanged or deteriorated 3 years post-shoulder arthroplasty.
- The decline in proprioception was more pronounced in the hemiarthroplasty group compared to the total shoulder arthroplasty group.
- These findings highlight the potential long-term impact of shoulder replacement on joint position sense.