Original articles   

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2001 June;41(2):236-42

Copyright © 2002 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Shoulder range of motion characteristics in collegiate baseball players

Baltaci G., Johnson R., Kohl Iii H.

From the Baylor College of Medicine Baylor Sports Medicine Institute * Health South Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center Houston, Texas, USA

Background. To deter­mine ­range of ­motion and cap­su­lar char­ac­ter­is­tics of dom­i­nant and non­dom­i­nant shoul­ders in base­ball ­players. Our hypoth­e­sis was ­that ­there is a sig­nif­i­cant dif­fer­ence ­between dom­i­nant and non­dom­i­nant ­range of ­motion in col­le­giate base­ball ­players ­with unop­er­at­ed and with­out shoul­der ­pain.
Methods. Design: pros­pec­tive, ­range of ­motion meas­ure­ments dur­ing reg­u­lar sea­son. Setting: two col­le­giate base­ball ­teams in Houston. Participants: 15 pitch­ers and 23 posi­tion ­players. Main out­come meas­ures: shoul­der ­range of ­motion was eval­u­at­ed by goni­o­met­ric tech­nique in all base­ball ­players. Horizontal adduc­tion (­cross ­body ­reach ­test) and ­active inter­nal rota­tion (­reach ­behind ­back) in stand­ing posi­tion and exter­nal rota­tion and inter­nal rota­tion in ­supine ­lying posi­tion ­were meas­ured for ­each ­player.
Results. Average exter­nal rota­tion ­with the arm in 90 ­degrees of abduc­tion was sig­nif­i­cant­ly great­er and aver­age inter­nal rota­tion was ­less in the dom­i­nant shoul­der ­than in the non­dom­i­nant shoul­ders, ­both in pitch­ers and posi­tion ­players. There was no sta­tis­ti­cal dif­fer­ence in shoul­der hor­i­zon­tal adduc­tion. Both dom­i­nant and non­dom­i­nant shoul­ders of pitch­ers had great­er aver­age ­range of ­motion in hor­i­zon­tal adduc­tion and exter­nal rota­tion at 90 ­degrees of abduc­tion and ­less aver­age inter­nal rota­tion ­than ­those of posi­tion ­players. Although ­there was a sig­nif­i­cant dif­fer­ence in ­active inter­nal rota­tion as cm ­between dom­i­nant and non­dom­i­nant shoul­ders ­both in ­both ­groups, no dif­fer­ence was ­found ­between pitch­ers and posi­tion ­players.
Conclusions. Differences in the ­range of ­motion in the throw­ing shoul­der of base­ball ­players ­exist ­involved in over­head throw­ing ­motions and ­should be con­sid­ered in reha­bil­i­ta­tion of the ­upper extrem­ity ­after inju­ry and in the pre­ven­tion of inju­ry for pitc­hers and posi­tion ­players.