Glenohumeral contact forces

Abstract

Glenohumeral contact forces have only been calculated previously either for simple abduction or for athletic activities. The objective of this study was to determine the glenohumeral contact forces for tasks which are demanding of the shoulder but which would commonly be performed by older people. The functional tasks chosen were using the arms to stand up from and sit down into a chair, walking with a cane, lifting a 5 kg box to shoulder height with both hands, and lifting a 10 kg suitcase. The trunk angles, arm angles and hand loads of six healthy subjects, average age 55 years, were recorded. This information was input into a biomechanical computer model which optimized the muscle force distribution by minimizing the sum of squared muscle stresses subject to constraints on the maximum muscle forces and maintaining the direction of the resultant force within the glenoid fossa. Average contact forces ranged from 1.3 to 2.4 times body weight (930-1720 N), the highest force being for lifting a suitcase. This latter value would be even higher if lifting either a greater load or to a greater height. Thus, contact forces at the shoulder should not be underestimated. This study provides functionally relevant contact forces which can be used for mechanical testing or finite element modelling of shoulder prostheses.