Strength Isometric Test: Shoulder Abduction

Testing shoulder abduction isometric strength with a Muscle Meter involves several steps, including patient preparation, device placement, and data collection. Here is a general overview of the testing protocol:

1. Have the client seated upright off the long edge of a massage table, with their testing arm abducted to 90 degrees. 
2. Before proceeding with this protocol it is important to ensure the client does not move their arm at any stage throughout this test.
3. Place the Muscle Meter just above the client’s styloid process. It is also recommended that the practitioner utilises one of their forearms to help match the client’s strength.
4. Once set, queue the client to abduct their shoulder, pushing up into the Muscle Meter as best they can.
5. Upon completion, hit save on the Measurz app and compare to the other side.

Here are a few examples of normative data reported in the literature:

• One study of healthy adults aged 20-30 years reported average force values of 102 N (±34) for males and 57 N (±17) for females (Boettcher et al., 2010).
• Another study of healthy adults aged 20-50 years reported average force values of 150 N (±44) for males and 81 N (±24) for females (Ramanathan et al., 2006).
• A study of healthy older adults aged 65-92 years reported average force values of 42 N (±22) for males and 25 N (±13) for females (Bohannon et al., 2006).

References:

1. Boettcher, C. E., Ginn, K. A., & Cathers, I. (2010). Standardisation and reliability of an isometric hand-held dynamometer protocol to assess shoulder strength in nondisabled adults. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 13(1), 136-142.
2. Ramanathan, A. K., Kiran, P., Arnold, G. P., Wang, W., & Abboud, R. J. (2006). Validation of a hand-held dynamometer with a strain gauge load-cell for the measurement of isometric shoulder strength. Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 15(1), 107-111.
3. Bohannon, R. W., Larkin, P. A., Cook, A. C., Gear, J., & Singer, J. (2006). Decrease in timed balance test scores with aging. Physical Therapy, 86(5), 583-588.