OBJECTIVE: To analyze if there is a discrepancy between the elbow flexion strength of the upper limb submitted to arthroscopic long head biceps tenotomy (ALHBT) and the contralateral side, and a control group. METHOD: In a transversal study, the authors assessed 89 patients submitted to ALHBT from October 2002 to February 2006. The dominant side was compared to the non-dominant side and only patients whose dominant side had been operated on were considered. After application of exclusion criteria, 61 patients remained in the study for statistical analysis. Elbow flexion strength measured in Newtons (N) with a digital dynamometer. Thre consecutive measurements were performed in order to obtain an average figure. Individual with similar ages and no complaints of either upper limb, and no history of upper limb surgery or trauma were chosen for the control group. Also excluded were individuals who practice sports with predominance of one upper limb over the other, as this can lead to misinterpretation of test results when comparing upper limb strength. Variables studied were: gender, age, average of three elbow flexion strength measurements of the operated limb compared to the contralateral limb, average of three elbow flexion strength measurements of the dominant limb compared to the contralateral limb of the control group. RESULTS: A comparison was made of the average of the three consecutive measurements of the operated (dominant) and the non-operated (non-dominant) limb with the T-test and an average of 19.8 ± 10 N to the dominant limb and 22.7 ± 9.7 N to the non-dominant limb was found. The paired t-test considered this difference significant (p = 0.010). A similar comparison was also performed between the dominant and non-dominant side of the control group through the t-test and an average of 26.7 ± 10.7 N to the dominant side, and 26.5 ± 10.3 N to the non-dominant side was found. When the discrepancy of muscular strength between the cases and the control group was compared, a significant correlation (p = 0.006) was found. CONCLUSION: Patients submitted to the ALHBT present a deficit of elbow flexion strength on the operated limb when compared to the non-operated limb and to a control group.
Elbow joint; Arthroscopy; Muscle strength; Evaluation of results of therapeutic interventions