Quantitative assessment of glenohumeral translation.

: Cutaneous electromagnetic position sensors were used to quantify anteroposterior laxity of the shoulder. Forty-three female athletes were tested (27 were soccer players and 16 were swimmers). The athletes had a mean age of 18.8 years (range, 17-24 years), and all were free of shoulder disorders. Dominant and nondominant shoulders were tested. Each shoulder was suspended in 90 degrees abduction and neutral rotation. Serial anteroposterior translations were done manually similar to an anteroposterior drawer examination of the shoulder. The glenohumeral translation for the soccer players was 9.6 mm (range, 5.8-15.1 mm) in the dominant shoulder and 10.7 mm (range, 5.2-16.7 mm) in the nondominant shoulder. The translations in the swimmers were significantly greater at 12.4 mm (range, 8.9-15.9 mm) in the dominant and 13.8 mm (range, 8.8-17.4 mm) in the nondominant shoulders. The mean of the differences between the dominant and nondominant shoulders was 2.1 mm for the swimmers and soccer players. For the soccer players, the range for the side to side differences was 0.1 to 5.3 mm. For the swimmers, the range was 0.1 to 4.3 mm. Finding a clinical device for objective measurement of joint laxity in the shoulder that is accurate, reproducible, noninvasive, and easy to use has been evasive.