(University of Oregon, 2021-04-29) COOPER, JENNIFER; Karduna, Andrew
Shoulder pain is a common orthopedic concern. The pain has a wide range of possible causes and may progress in a number of different manners. One large gap in knowledge is the specific pathway of a chronic condition resulting from an acute injury. The purpose of this dissertation was to begin to close that gap from both ends, investigating muscular changes after acute pain is introduced and after chronic pain is acutely relieved. Additionally, an electromyography normalization technique was investigated as a means to facilitate research in a patient population. The results indicate decreases in rotator cuff muscle activity both with acute pain and the acute relief of chronic pain. This suggests acute reactions and chronic adaptations to pain differ and require further investigation.
