Electromyographic Characteristics of a Single Motion Shoulder Exercise: A Pilot Study Investigating a Novel Shoulder Exercise.
Michael J Henehan, Tamar Brand-Perez, Jeffrey C Peng and 1 others
PMID 35136696WHAT IT FOUND
A novel Figure-of-8 shoulder exercise activated the rotator cuff and most scapular muscles similarly to standard exercises.
However, it significantly under-activated the middle and lower trapezius compared to the standard protocol. The exercise may be a viable simplification but lacks full scapular stabilizer engagement.
Key findings
01No significant difference was found in EMG activity for the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, upper trapezius, serratus anterior, middle deltoid, and teres minor between the single motion and standard exercises.
02The standard exercises produced significantly higher EMG activation in the middle and lower trapezius compared to the single motion exercise.
03The study included nineteen participants who performed both the novel Figure-of-8 exercise and a standard four-exercise protocol with self-selected weights.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study was a pilot with a small sample size of nineteen healthy participants, excluding those with current shoulder pain or pathology, so results may not apply to patients. Surface EMG was used, which can be less accurate for deep shoulder muscles compared to fine-wire EMG. The comparison involved a continuous multiplanar movement against discrete uniplanar exercises, which may affect the validity of direct EMG peak comparisons. Participants self-selected weights, which standardizes load relative to their own strength but introduces variability in absolute resistance.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the similarity in activation for most muscles as evidence that the Figure-of-8 exercise is clinically equivalent to standard protocols for treating shoulder pathology. This was a pilot study on healthy individuals, and it specifically showed inferior activation of the middle and lower trapezius, which are critical for scapular stability.