Role of active joint position sense on the upper extremity functional performance tests in college volleyball players

Abstract

Background It has been well established that proprioception plays a decisive role in shoulder stability and sport performance. Notwithstanding, there is a lack of clear association between active joint position sense (AJPS) and the performance of upper-extremity functional performance tests. The aim of this study was to determine whether the AJPS of the shoulder complex is associated with the performance of college volleyball players with the following functional tests: Y-Balance Test-Upper Quarter (YBT-UQ), Closed Kinetic Chain Upper-Extremity Stability Test (CKCUEST), and Seated Medicine Ball Throw (SMBT). The secondary aim was to investigate whether the magnitude of the proprioception error through the AJPS had the ability to act as a predictor for functional test scores. Methods Cross-sectional study with a convenience sampling. Healthy college volleyball players (≥12 h of training/week), 30 males and 22 females, between 18 and 26 years of age were included. AJPS of the shoulder (90° of flexion (90°Flex), 90° of internal rotation at 90° of abduction (90°IR/ABD), 90° of external rotation at 90° of abduction (90°ER/ABD)) and three upper-extremity functional performance tests (YBT-UQ, CKCUEST and SMBT) were assessed. A Pearson’s test and a stepwise multiple linear regression analysis were used to determine possible associations and relationships between outcome measures, respectively. Results The analysis revealed that AJPS at 90°IR/ABD and 90°ER/ABD were the only proprioceptive variables with an association to the YBT-UQ and SMBT. Despite these relationships, only the AJPS at 90°IR/ABD was associated with the performance of the YBT-UQ in; superolateral direction (β = −0.7; 95% CI [−1.3 to 0.1]; p = 0.025); inferolateral direction (β = −1.5; 95% CI [−2.1 to −0.8]; p = 0.001); and composite score (β = −0.8; 95% CI [−1.3 to −0.3]; p = 0.002). From these, AJPS at 90°IR/ABD mainly explained the variability of YBT-UQ (inferolateral direction) performance (R2 = 0.32; %R2 = 0.32). Our findings allow for a possible expanded role for proprioception as a contributing factor in upper limb motor control during functional movements. Further research is required to explore and distinguish the associations between proprioception, motor control and sport performance involving the upper limbs.

Mediating the Connection: The Role of Pain in the Relationship between Shoulder Muscle Strength, Joint Position Sense, and Sub-Acromial Impingement Syndrome

“…In line with previous research [38][39][40], the findings of our study provide crucial insights into the profound functional deficits experienced by individuals with SIS when compared to a healthy control group. These deficits are evident in two fundamental aspects of shoulder function, namely, muscle strength and joint position sense, each playing a critical role in shoulder biomechanics and overall upper extremity function [41]. The reduced muscle strength observed among individuals with SIS is multifactorial.…”

How does a motor or cognitive dual-task affect our sense of upper limb proprioception?

“…This is relevant to the upper limbs, particularly to the glenohumeral (GH) joint, due to the sacrifice of joint stability [ 4 ] for a large range of motion [ 5 , 6 ]. Proprioception contributes to dynamic shoulder joint stability during upper limb activities such as sports [ 7 , 8 ], playing a musical instrument [ 9 ] and in daily activities (ADLs) [ 10 ].…”

Peculiarities of Adolescent, Qualified Female Volleyball Players’ Shoulder Girdle

“…Y-upper body dynamic balance test (Y-UBDBT) in volleyball is a popular functional movement indicator to measure dynamic stability of the upper extremity in a weight-bearing position, thus identifying factors for risks of injury (23)(24)(25)(26)(27). It is well known that proprioception plays a decisive role in shoulder stability and motor control of the upper limbs (28). Proprioception includes sub-modalities like joint position sense (the ability to reproduce joint angles actively or passively), kinesthesia (sense of movement), sense of force, and sense of change in velocity (29,30).…”

“…A proprioceptive deficit could alter the recruitment of the shoulder muscles, causing an over-activation or under-activation of the rotator cuff muscles, ultimately predisposing an athlete to injury (31). Mendez-Rebolledo et al (28) evaluated possible correlations between shoulder position sense and the performance in the Y-UBDST in 18-26-year-old male and female college volleyball players who trained ≥ 12 hours per week. They observed that better results of active joint position sense at 90° of shoulder IR (when 90° of the arm abduction is present) are associated with the better performance of the Y-UBDST in superolateral, inferolateral direction, and composite score.…”