The accuracy of an external frame using ISB recommended rotation sequence to define shoulder joint angle

When investigating shoulder kinematics, it may be necessary to limit shoulder joint angles at a specific level. Previous studies used external frames or external surfaces to assist the participant to reach the shoulder joint angles of interest. The accuracy of these methods, however, has not yet been investigated. In the current study, an external frame was designed to assist in maintaining specific shoulder postures in a wide range. The three degrees of freedom of rotation of the proposed frame were designed to be consistent with the description of shoulder joint angles recommended by the International Society of Biomechanics. Six participants used this frame to perform 118 different shoulder postures. The reference joint angles measured by a motion tracking system were compared with the frame-defined angles. The angle differences among all the participants ranged from 12.7° to 85.6°, with an average of 32.2° (SD 15.1°) across all postures. For the postures with elevation angles on or below horizontal, the average angle difference was 23.7° (SD 8.5°). Findings suggest that errors exist when using an external frame to assist in reaching specific shoulder postures. Error is minimized at elevation angles close to -30°, and the performance is poor for extreme shoulder postures.