Shoulder Pain and Rotational Range of Motion of the Trunk, Shoulder, and Hip in Baseball Players.

CONTEXT

Deficient glenohumeral rotational range of motion (ROM) is a risk factor for shoulder pain. Adapted ROM of the trunk and hip in response to loss of glenohumeral ROM has been suggested, as the nature of baseball leads to ROM adaptations.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the bilateral rotational ROM values of the trunk and glenohumeral and hip joints in adolescent baseball players with or without shoulder pain and to measure the correlation between shoulder-pain intensity and bilateral rotational ROM values for each body area.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Research laboratory.

PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS

Ninety-five adolescent baseball players (60 with shoulder pain, 35 without shoulder pain).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Bilateral trunk rotation and internal rotation, external rotation, and total rotation of the dominant and nondominant glenohumeral and hip joints.

RESULTS

Glenohumeral and hip ROM did not differ between groups, and pain intensity and rotational ROM were not related in either joint. Trunk rotational ROM was greater in the pain group than in the control group (dominant side = 48.8° ± 14.2° versus 41.8° ± 11.9°, respectively; nondominant side = 45.1° ± 14.2° versus 38.9° ± 7.7°, respectively; values < .05), although the difference was clinically small (mean differences = 7.0° ± 2.7° [95% confidence interval = 1.7, 12.4] on the dominant side, = .01, and 6.1° ± 2.7° [95% confidence interval = 0.8, 11.5] on the nondominant side, = .03). Positive but low correlations in all players (ρ = 0.27, = .01) and in those with shoulder pain (ρ = 0.36, = .001) were present between shoulder-pain intensity and trunk rotational ROM toward the dominant side.

CONCLUSIONS

We found no clinical relationship between shoulder pain and rotational ROM and no clinical differences in rotational ROM values between players with and those without shoulder pain.