Kinematics of shoulder abduction in the scapular plane

In this paper the kinematics of arm abduction in the scapular plane of 38 healthy experimental subjects is reported. The ratio of the glenohumoral and the scapulothoracic components of the motion were determined and the influence of the abduction speed and of the external load on it were investigated. The investigation of the effect of abduction speed involved all 38 subjects. Each of them performed one slow and one fast abduction. Statistical analysis showed that there were large differences between individuals, but that for any one individual the abduction process is essentially reproducible. For the one individual there is a strong, linear relationship between glenohumeral and scapulotho…