A Novel Rehabilitation Program Using Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) and Taping for Shoulder Pain in Swimmers: A Protocol and Case Example.
Noah Smith, Rachel Hotze, Angela R Tate
PMID 33842053WHAT IT FOUND
In a teenage competitive swimmer, reported pain fell and he returned to full practice after eight weeks of a combined program: swimming modifications, fins, manual therapy, stretching, strengthening, NMES and taping.
The report describes a single case, and no single component can be credited.
Key findings
01The swimmer's reported pain was 4 at present and 8 at worst while swimming at evaluation, and 0 at present and 0 at worst at discharge; Quick DASH was 29.5 at evaluation and 0 at discharge.
02He was able to swim a full practice without fins after a progression that increased swimming volume by about 10% per week.
03He reported pain relief with kinesiology tape during early swimming progressions, and taping was stopped once he was pain-free with a reasonable training volume.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The report describes a single case, so it does not show that the program works. The swimmer received many interventions at the same time: swimming modification, fins, manual therapy, stretching, strengthening, taping and NMES, so the contribution of any one component cannot be separated. The same authors who proposed the protocol treated the swimmer. The authors state they cannot conclude that the program is more effective than traditional physical therapy without NMES, taping and training modifications. The taping literature is inconclusive, and the authors advise caution with taping. There are no studies on NMES for neuromuscular re-education after shoulder injury in swimmers, according to the authors. The case had several positive shoulder tests, including labral, subacromial, instability and scapular assistance findings, so the result may not transfer to swimmers with different findings.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest were declared. The authors treated the swimmer and present the protocol.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that NMES or taping treats shoulder pain in swimmers. The improvement happened in a single case that received many treatments together, and the authors state they cannot conclude the program is more effective than traditional physical therapy without NMES, taping, and training modifications.