Riassunto dello studio

Forty-two athletes with glenohumeral internal rotation deficit were randomized to receive 4 weeks of a novel stretching technique (passive glenohumeral internal rotation with clam shell bridging; n=20) or traditional modified sleeper stretching (n=22) for the improvement of range of motion and shoulder pain. The outcomes of interest included glenohumeral internal rotation, shoulder pain on a numeric pain rating scale (NPRS), and treatment compliance rate. Internal range of motion was assessed post-intervention and 4 weeks post-intervention, and shoulder pain was assessed 4 weeks post-intervention only. Results revealed no significant difference between the novel stretching and traditional stretching groups in the improvement in glenohumeral range of motion (p=0.27). However, the improvement from baseline in shoulder pain scores was significantly greater in the novel stretching group at 4 weeks post-intervention (p=0.002).