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. 2021 May 15;8(1):37.
doi: 10.1186/s40634-021-00352-z.

Evaluation of the inter and intraobserver reproducibility of the GRASP method: a goniometric method to measure the isolated glenohumeral range of motion in the shoulder joint

Miguel Angel Ruiz Ibán  1 , Susana Alonso Güemes  2 , Raquel Ruiz Díaz  2 , Cristina Victoria Asenjo Gismero  3 , Alejandro Lorente Gomez  2 , Jorge Diaz Heredia  2
Affiliations

Evaluation of the inter and intraobserver reproducibility of the GRASP method: a goniometric method to measure the isolated glenohumeral range of motion in the shoulder joint

Miguel Angel Ruiz Ibán et al. J Exp Orthop. .

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the intra and interobserver reproducibility of a new goniometric method for evaluating the isolated passive range of motion of the glenohumeral joint in an outpatient setting.

Methods: This is a prospective observational study on healthy subjects. The Glenohumeral ROM Assessment with Scapular Pinch (GRASP) method is a new method for assessing the isolated range of motion (ROM) of the glenohumeral joint (GH) by a single examiner with a clinical goniometer. It measures the isolated glenohumeral passive abduction (GH-AB), passive external rotation (GH-ER) and internal rotation (GH-IR) with the arm at 45º of abduction. These three GH ROM parameters were measured in both shoulders of 30 healthy volunteers (15 males/15 females, mean age:41.6[SD = 10.3] years). The full shoulder passive abduction, passive external rotation and internal rotation 45º of abduction were measured by the same examiners with a goniometer for comparison. One examiner made two evaluations and a second examiner made a third one. The primary outcome was the intra- and interobserver reproducibility of the measurements assessed with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and the Bland-Altman plot.

Results: The intra-observer ICC for isolated glenohumeral ROM were: 0.84 ± 0.07 for GH-ABD, 0.63 ± 0.09 for GH-ER, and 0.61 ± 0.14 for GH-IR. The inter-observer ICC for isolated glenohumeral ROM were: 0.86 ± 0.06 for GH-ABD, 0.68 ± 0.12 for GH-ER, and 0.62 ± 0.14 for GH-IR. These results were similar to those obtained for full shoulder ROM assessment with a goniometer.

Conclusion: The GRASP method is reproducible for quick assessment of isolated glenohumeral ROM.

Level of evidence: III.

Keywords: Glenohumeral joint; Goniometric; Range of motion; Shoulder.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The Glenohumeral ROM Assessment with Scapular Pinch (GRASP) method. For a detailed description of each image see text
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The Bland–Altman plots for intraobserver (a, b, c) and interobserver (d, e, f) reproducibility for glenohumeral passive abduction (GH-PAS), external rotation (GH-PER) and internal rotation (GH-PIR)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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