In-vivo stability shoulder assessment during push-ups using force plates in healthy adults
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24310/riccafd.14.3.2025.22268Keywords:
stability, shoulder, force plates, push-ups, in vivoAbstract
Objective: The main aim was to describe shoulder strength and kinetic parameters during different variations of push-ups, as well as to determine if a widely extended tool in lower limb assessment in sports sciences, force plates, could be valid for shoulder stability assessment.
Methods: Thirty-six healthy active adults were recruited in this cross-sectional study to undergo three variations of push-ups on force plates as well as two strength tests focused on the lateral deltoid and major pectoral using a hand-held dynamometer. The study was focused on the following outcome variables: maximum peak of force, time to peak, rate of force development, vertical force exerted on force plates, and center of pressure displacement in the lateral and anteroposterior axes.
Results: The outcomes showed a moderate to very strong relationship between ground reaction force and stability in the anteroposterior axis (R = 0.450 – 0.989, p < 0.05), allowing the establishment of linear regression models to estimate stability using this variable. Nonetheless, the relationship of ground reaction force with the displacement in the lateral axis was non-statistically significant (p > 0.05). As for dynamometric characteristics, deltoid strength showed a direct relationship with the ground reaction force (R = 0.365 – 0.770, p < 0.001), becoming a key muscle in shoulder instability assessment. These correlations allowed the establishment of estimating regression models (p < 0.001).
Conclusions: Force plates have been demonstrated to be a valid tool in shoulder assessment. However, more research is needed to determine if these parameters could be related to glenohumeral stability.
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