Poor Balance and Core Strength May Cause Shoulder Injury

There may be a connection between balance, core strength, and the likelihood that a shoulder injury will occur.

A new study analyzed 30 athletes with no shoulder pain and 21 athletes with shoulder pain. The athletes with shoulder pain demonstrated significantly weaker oblique muscles. Furthermore, these athletes scored more poorly on the star excursion balance test.

Conclusions

This study illustrates the concept of ”regional interdependence”. While it may be easy to assume that a shoulder injury is due to direct problems with the shoulder joint, the reality is that the function of the shoulder can be influenced by every joint in the body. Movement screens that analyze the entire body can be valuable for treating patients with pain, even if the pain is only localized to one region.

References

Pogetti, L. S., Nakagawa, T. H., Conteçote, G. P., & Camargo, P. R. (2018). Core stability, shoulder peak torque and function in throwing athletes with and without shoulder pain. Physical Therapy in Sport, 34, 36-42.