Faculty of Sports and Exercise Science, Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Sci Rep. 2024 Feb 27;14(1):4736. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-54789-0.
The effects of IT and R.I.C.E. treatment on arm muscle performance in overhead athletes with elbow pain (EP) have been partially validated. However, there is a lack of research evidence regarding the efficacy of these two methods on arm muscle performance among swimmers with EP. The aim of this study was to investigate the trends and differences in the effects of IT and R.I.C.E. treatment on arm muscle performance among swimmers with EP. The main outcomes were the time effects and group effects of interventions on muscle voluntary contraction (MVC). Sixty elite freestyle swimmers from Tianjin, China, voluntarily participated in the study and completed a 10-week intervention program. Swimmers with EP in the IT group showed a positive trend in MVC, with an approximately 2% increase, whereas the MVC of subjects in the R.I.C.E. treatment group and control group decreased by approximately 4% and 5%, respectively. In comparison, the effects of the IT intervention on the MVC of the triceps and brachioradialis muscles in swimmers with EP were significant (p = 0.042 < 0.05, p = 0.027 < 0.05). The mean MVC value of the IT group (0.60) was greater than that of the other two groups (0.51, 0.50). IT has a beneficial impact on the MVC performance of the triceps and brachioradialis muscles in swimmers with EP. It is recommended that professionals consider incorporating IT into regular training routines to mitigate the risk of EP issues. Future research should examine the effectiveness of both interventions on hand-grip strength and completion time in 50-m freestyle swim drills in order for swimmers with EP to return to this sport.
IT 和 R.I.C.E. 治疗对患有肘痛 (EP) 的上肢运动员手臂肌肉性能的影响已得到部分验证。然而，对于 EP 游泳运动员，这两种方法对手臂肌肉性能的疗效缺乏研究证据。本研究旨在探讨 IT 和 R.I.C.E. 治疗对 EP 游泳运动员手臂肌肉性能的影响趋势和差异。主要结果是干预对肌肉自愿收缩 (MVC) 的时间效应和组效应。来自中国天津的 60 名精英自由泳运动员自愿参加了这项研究，并完成了 10 周的干预计划。IT 组中患有 EP 的游泳运动员的 MVC 呈正趋势，约增加 2%，而 R.I.C.E. 治疗组和对照组的 MVC 分别约减少 4%和 5%。相比之下，IT 干预对 EP 游泳运动员肱三头肌和肱桡肌 MVC 的影响显著（p=0.042<0.05，p=0.027<0.05）。IT 组的平均 MVC 值（0.60）大于其他两组（0.51，0.50）。IT 对 EP 游泳运动员肱三头肌和肱桡肌的 MVC 性能有有益的影响。建议专业人员考虑将 IT 纳入常规训练常规中，以降低 EP 问题的风险。未来的研究应检查这两种干预措施对手握力和 50 米自由泳训练中完成时间的有效性，以便 EP 游泳运动员能够重返这项运动。
