Shoulder Problems Associated with Hemiplegia

Abstract

The human shoulder is a very mobile joint indeed. It needs to have a vast range of movement in order to bring the hands into the right positions to perform the countless tasks of daily life and to make fine motor skills possible. Biomechanically, stability has therefore been sacrificed in favour of mobility when the shoulder is compared with the hip joint, where the opposite is the case. However, it is not the shoulder joint alone which makes movements of the arm in so many directions possible. In fact, as Cailliet (1980) explains, no fewer than seven joints must all move together in a synchronised, co-ordinated way to allow for smooth, unhampered motion and activity; the joints involved being:

• 1. Glenohumeral

• 2. Suprahumeral

• 3. Acromioclavicular

• 4. Scapulocostal

• 5. Sternoclavicular

• 6. Costosternal

• 7. Costovertebral