A goal leading to improving motion analysis and therapy

Despite the high prevalence of vision loss and blindness, relatively few studies have looked at postural and musculoskeletal problems in visually impaired people. 

Visual information strongly supports proprioceptive information for postural adjustment. Reduced vision, but especially blindness, causes abnormal sensorimotor interaction. Insufficient visual information due to reduced or lost vision leads to an increased incidence of musculoskeletal problems. Overuse of non-physiological muscle and joint movements and positions typically leads to recurrent or long-lasting symptoms of stiffness and pain, typically in the shoulder girdle and neck area. 

So the goal of this course is to teach you how to assess shoulder pain to help you discover the underlying cause. You will learn how to assess the degree of postural abnormalities of the upper body. 

One way of classifying shoulder complaints is to classify those that are related to an accident or traumatic event and those that are not. In most cases of shoulder pain, no clear structural abnormality is found, which can be confirmed by imaging (physiotherapy). However, several factors are usually involved, and the pain syndrome negatively affects functional abilities and becomes recurrent or chronic in up to half of the cases. Data on the prevalence of shoulder pain vary, as it is not always reported as a diagnosis in the health care system due to its variable severity and duration. However, it is a very common problem, which is a significant individual and social burden, often associated with other conditions (e.g. diabetes, hypertension, thyroid dysfunction, psychological disorders). 

Periarthritis (43.1%) and subacromial pain syndrome (26.9%) are high causes of shoulder pain, but these tend to differ between younger and older ages [4]. People over 40 years of age are at increased risk of chronic rotator cuff involvement (inflammation, rupture), adhesive capsulitis or arthritic process of the glenohumeral joint (osteoarthritis). People over 61 years of age have a lower cure rate due to a worse prognosis of periarthrotic involvement. The diagnosis of these disorders, which are associated with a different functional status and impair quality of life, is based primarily on the results of clinical examinations. The sparing at the onset of shoulder pain may result in a further increase in the loss of range of motion. An upset muscle balance in any age group slows and complicates the rehabilitation of the shoulder joint. Studies have also shown a correlation between the severity of painful movement avoidance and indicators of pain-functional deficit.  Physical therapists have an important role to play in getting treatment started as soon as possible. The first step is a thorough physical examination to identify, if possible, the underlying disorder of the shoulder symptoms and to decide whether treatment can be started within the limits of professional competence or whether the results require an examination by another specialist.