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Muscle activities during shoulder internal rotation differ in arm position: a preliminary quantitative analysis using positron emission tomography

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Abstract

Objective

To investigate the muscle activity patterns of the glenohumeral joint during internal rotation both with the arm at 0° and 90° of abduction using 2-deoxy-2-[18F] fluoro-d-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Materials and methods

Six healthy male volunteers underwent PET examination after performing active glenohumeral internal rotation exercise using an elastic band both with the arm at 0° and 90° of abduction. As a control, PET scan under resting condition was also performed. The exercise was performed before and after 18 fluorodeoxyglucose injection. Each PET image was fused to the corresponding MRI to identify each muscle. The standardized uptake value (SUV) of each muscle was compared between the two arm positions.

Results

With the arm at 0° of abduction, the SUV increased significantly after exercise both in the middle and inferior 1/3 of the subscapularis, which were significantly higher than that of the superior 1/3 of the subscapularis (P < 0.05). The SUV of the inferior 1/3 of the subscapularis was significantly higher at 90° of abduction than at 0° of abduction and was significantly higher than that of the superior 1/3 at 90° of abduction (P < 0.01). The SUV after exercise in the inferior infraspinatus and teres minor increased.

Conclusions

The middle and inferior parts of the subscapularis are the main shoulder internal rotators in 0° of abduction, whereas the inferior part of the subscapularis is the main internal rotator in 90° of abduction.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Dr. Toshihiko Fujimoto, Dr. Kotaro Hiraoka, and Dr. Kazuyoshi Baba for their technical assistance as well as the entire staff at the Cyclotron and Radioisotope Center, Tohoku University, for their support and collaboration.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tohoku University School of Medicine, 1-1 Seiryo-machi, Aobaku, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan

    Gaku Matsuzawa, Nobuyuki Yamamoto, Daisuke Kurokawa & Eiji Itoi

  2. Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Sendai City Hospital, Sendai, Japan

    Hirotaka Sano

  3. Division of Cyclotron Nuclear Medicine, Cyclotron and Radioisotope Center, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan

    Shoichi Watanuki & Manabu Tashiro

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  1. Gaku Matsuzawa
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  2. Hirotaka Sano
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  3. Nobuyuki Yamamoto
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Correspondence to Eiji Itoi.

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Matsuzawa, G., Sano, H., Yamamoto, N. et al. Muscle activities during shoulder internal rotation differ in arm position: a preliminary quantitative analysis using positron emission tomography. Skeletal Radiol 49, 1839–1847 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-020-03490-0

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