Shoulder’s strength, range of motion and scapulohumeral rhythm in a cohort of male master tennis players

• Marco Bravi ^[3] ; Riccardo Borzuola ^[3] ; Pietro Picerno ^[1] ; Giuseppe Vannozzi ^[3] ; Fabio Santacaterina ^[4] ; Arrigo Giombini ^[3] ; Giuseppe Massazza ^[2] ; Ugo Riba ^[5] ; Rocco Papalia ^[4] ; Fabio Pigozzi ^[3] ; Chiara Fossati ^[3] ; Andrea Macaluso ^[3]
  1. [1] University of Sassari

     University of Sassari

     Sassari, Italia

     
  2. [2] University of Turin

     University of Turin

     Torino, Italia

     
  3. [3] University of Rome “Foro Italico”
  4. [4] Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico Foundation
  5. [5] IRR Rehabilitation Center

  Mostrar afiliaciones +
• Localización: Journal of Human Sport and Exercise: JHSE, ISSN-e 1988-5202, Vol. 20, Nº. 2, 2025, págs. 499-514
• Idioma: inglés
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo
• Resumen

  • Tennis is known for its repetitive upper limb movements, which can potentially lead to injuries. While past research investigated shoulder biomechanics in young athletes and female players, there is a lack of study regarding male master tennis athletes. This study aimed to compare some of the biomechanical features in the dominant shoulder between master tennis players and age-matched non-tennis athletes. Isometric strength, range of motion, and scapulohumeral-rhythm, which describes the coordinated kinematic pattern between scapula and humerus during arm elevation, with and without 2kg dumbbells, were compared between 15 master tennis athletes and 15 non-tennis athletes. Tennis athletes exhibited a higher external rotation RoM in the dominant than in the non-dominant shoulder with no differences with non-tennis athletes. Extension, abduction, adduction and external rotation strength were greater in tennis athletes compared to controls, while there were no differences in the external to internal rotation ratio. Scapulohumeral-rhythm in the dominant shoulder was similar between the two groups, with a magnitude approaching the physiological value of 2:1. Therefore, from a biomechanical perspective, the results suggest that long-term participation in tennis does not significantly affect the balance in shoulder rotator strength and the scapulohumeral-rhythm, likely not representing a risk factor for shoulder injuries.