Do hypermobile subjects without pain have alteration to the feedback mechanisms controlling the shoulder girdle?
OBJECTIVE
It has been reported that hypermobile subjects have proprioceptive deficits. However, it remains unclear whether pain-free subjects with hypermobility also have deficits.


METHODS
Ten subjects with hypermobility and nine without hypermobility were recruited following ethical approval and informed consent. Shoulder mobility, joint position sense (JPS) and a reflex of trapezius evoked from arm afferents were compared.


RESULTS
There was greater shoulder mobility in the hypermobile group (p = 0.004). There were no differences in shoulder JPS between the groups (p = 0.27), although, the hypermobile group displayed a larger degree of variability (p = 0.014). Finally, there were no differences in the latency of upper and lower trapezius reflexes evoked from arm afferents (p = 0.86 and 0.98, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
In a group of people with hypermobility without shoulder problems, there was no difference in either shoulder JPS or reflex latency when compared with a non- hypermobile group. The relevance of pain to proprioceptive deficits is discussed.
Jeremiah
H M
HM
Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust, Brockley Hill, Stanmore, Middlesex, HA7 4LP, UK. helenmjeremiah@yahoo.co.uk
Alexander
C M
CM
D000328:Adult; D004535:Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D025461:Feedback, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011434:Proprioception; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D012785:Shoulder Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*