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In Vitro Manual Therapy And Biorobotic Simulation Of Glenohumeral Joint Mobilization Techniques, Hunter Johnson Smith

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Physical therapists (PT) employ mobilization techniques for restoring range of motion to joints. Few studies have attempted to quantify the biomechanics of manual therapy on the glenohumeral (GH) joint. The objectives of this study were to develop an in vitro protocol to determine the biomechanical effects of joint mobilization on the GH joint, and to then simulate these mobilizations in the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) Joint Implant Biomechanics Laboratory’s Robotic Testing Platform (RTP).

The GH joint is an incredibly shallow socket joint. This gives the joint an unusually large range of motion (ROM) compared to other ball …