Shoulder joint replacement and upper extremity activities of daily living

Abstract

3D motion analysis is mainly used for lower extremity, especially gait analysis. Upper extremity is a comparably new application and less standardized. The large range of motion and complex anatomy of the shoulder are challenging. However 3D motion analysis can provide deeper insight in the coordinated motion of the upper extremity as multiple joints can be monitored over the whole movement. Anatomical and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty are effective surgical treatment options for patients with osteoarthritis, rheumatic arthritis, cuff tear arthropathy, and traumatic shoulder injuries. 3D motion analysis helps to understand how prostheses influence movement patterns and improve shoulder function. Thus it may help to improve design of future prostheses and could potentially become an objective tool for examination of patients pre- and postoperatively. Although there are no standardized protocols yet, range of motion tasks and activities of daily living have been used in many protocols and proved to be effective tasks for analysis of shoulder function.