Range of Motion and Muscle Stiffness Differences in Junior Tennis Players with and without a History of Shoulder Pain.
Joshua Colomar, Javier Peña, Jordi Vicens-Bordas and 1 others
PMID 39758695WHAT IT FOUND
Junior tennis players with shoulder pain had less internal rotation in their dominant arm than those without pain.
However, muscle stiffness was similar between groups. Clinicians should note that pain history is linked to range of motion deficits but not necessarily to changes in passive muscle stiffness.
Key findings
01Players with a history of shoulder pain showed significantly lower internal rotation and total arc of motion in the dominant shoulder compared to pain-free players.
02No significant differences in muscle stiffness were found between players with and without shoulder pain, or between limbs, for any of the four muscles tested.
03Both groups exhibited interlimb asymmetries in internal rotation, suggesting these adaptations are common in junior tennis players regardless of pain status.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The term 'shoulder pain' was broad and could encompass various underlying pathologies, which were not differentiated. Participants were not all tested on the same day, which may have introduced variability in their status. The study used passive stiffness measurements, which may not reflect the active muscle behavior relevant to tennis performance. The sample size was small (25 participants), limiting the generalizability of the findings.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that normal muscle stiffness readings rule out shoulder pathology in junior tennis players. The study found that players with pain had significant range of motion deficits despite having stiffness values similar to pain-free players.