Shoulder Proprioceptive Training During Immobilization of the Wrist

Effects of Proprioceptive Training on Shoulder's Muscle Mass After Distal Radius Fracture. Randomized Clinical Trial.

The goal of this randomized clinical trial is to compare how a program of proprioceptive exercises for the shoulder could influence in pain, functionality, quality of life and shoulder muscle overload in people that are undergoing a immobilization period after a wrist fracture. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Study the relationship between shoulder muscle overload and shoulder pain.
• Evaluate the effect of a proprioceptive program on pain and patient's satisfaction.

Intervention will be:

• Control group: participants of this group are not going to receive any protocol of exercises during the immobilization period.
• Experimental group: participants of this group are going to receive a protocol of proprioceptive shoulder exercises to do during the immobilization period.

Researchers will compare control and experimental group to see if a implantation of a proprioceptive program for the shoulder has benefits on pain, function, quality of life and muscle overload.

Distal radius fracture (DRF) in one of the most frequent injuries in the upper limb, corresponding to 1/6 of the total fractures of the body. It appears mostly in >50 years old women (due to osteoporosis and menopause) but it is also frequent in middle age men as a consequence of a big trauma during sport activities or working. This injury can be treated conservative of surgically, but regardless of the treatment, it always has a period of immobilization between 3 to 6 weeks.

During the immobilization period, proximal structures suffer changes in mobility. Shoulder's ROM has to increased in order to compensate the immobilization of the wrist. Previous studies shown that there is a relation between time of immobilization and shoulder pain.

Shoulder pain can significantly affect daily living activities as driving, dressing or even eating. Also, pain does not appear only on it's own, but with other psychological factors as catastrophism, lower self-efficacy, fear of movement and avoidance. These factors could be crucial to predict disability in these patients, hence they should not be ignored during the rehabilitation process.

Our hypothesis is that the implementation of a proprioceptive shoulder exercise program during the period of immobilization may help and/or prevent shoulder pain secondary to immobilization.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult (equal or more than 18 y/o).
• Suffering a distal radius fracture and being in the first week of the immobilization period.
• Agree and sign informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Not had suffered a distal radius fracture and/or not being on the immobilization period.
• Suffer any mental, cognitive, neurological or musculoskeletal disorder.
• Previous injury or pathology of the shoulder diagnosed as fractures, instability, shoulder pain or capsulitis.
• Previous shoulder surgery.
• Have cervical pathology/impairment.