Shoulder Tendon Adaptations Following a Graded Exercise Test to Exhaustion in Highly Trained Wheelchair Rugby Athletes With Different Impairments.
Fransiska Marie Bossuyt, Barry S Mason, Simon Briley and 4 others
PMID 36188798WHAT IT FOUND
After a maximal exercise test, biceps tendon echogenicity dropped significantly, suggesting fluid shift or reactive change.
Athletes with spinal cord injuries had thicker supraspinatus tendons than those with other impairments. However, most tendon measures did not change, and pain was only linked to one post-exercise ultrasound finding.
Key findings
01Biceps tendon echogenicity significantly decreased after the graded exercise test, while no other tendon characteristics showed significant acute changes.
02Athletes with non-spinal cord injuries had significantly thinner supraspinatus tendons compared to those with spinal cord injuries.
03Post-exercise, decreased supraspinatus echogenicity was correlated with increased shoulder pain, but no such relationship existed before exercise.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included only 12 participants, which limits statistical power and generalizability. The sample was heterogeneous, mixing athletes with spinal cord injuries and other impairments, making it difficult to isolate specific risk factors. There was no matched control group, so it is unclear if the observed changes are unique to this population or typical of intense exercise. Hydration levels were not quantified, which could have influenced ultrasound imaging results. The study only measured acute changes; it did not track long-term tendon health or recovery.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Peter Harrison Foundation, the Institute of Advanced Studies at Loughborough University, and the Swiss Paraplegic Research supported by the Swiss Paraplegic Foundation. The authors declared no commercial or financial conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that the drop in biceps tendon echogenicity indicates injury or that it will lead to pain. The paper notes this change may reflect fluid shifts rather than inflammation, and it did not correlate with pain scores in this small sample. Additionally, do not generalize these findings to all wheelchair users, as the athletes were highly trained and had specific impairments.