Assessment of shoulder function using the coronal plane angle

BACKGROUND: Assessment of shoulder function is an essential part of clinical practice. Current scoring relies on multiple subjective and / or objective components. We present a single angular measurement, the coronal plane angle, which relates to the functional assessment of the shoulder. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred patients were prospectively enrolled and assessed using the Constant-Murley score and the Oxford shoulder questionnaire, and the coronal plane angle was measured for both symptomatic and asymptomatic shoulder. RESULTS: Nine patients were excluded from the study: Four had apprehension and five were not able to get their hand to head. The mean coronal plane angle on the symptomatic side was +11.3° and the asymptomatic side −1.5° (P ≤ 0.01). Pearson's correlation of 0.9 and 0.84 was demonstrated for the Constant-Murley and Oxford shoulder scores, respectively, with the coronal plane angle. CONCLUSION: The coronal plane angle is a single objective assessment and provides a simple alternative to shoulder assessment for the majority of patients.