Abstract
Subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS) is a condition commonly encountered in overhead athletes. Prolonged participation in overhead sporting activities such as cricket may create postural adaptations and muscle imbalances which could lead to altered scapular and glenohumeral kinematics. Altered scapular and shoulder girdle kinematics may result in narrowing of the acromiohumeral distance (AHD), leading to compression of the soft tissue structures passing inferior to the acromion.
The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the ultrasound measurement of the AHD, at different angles of humeral abduction, in conjunction with the scapular assistance test (SAT), is able to identify SIS risk resulting from scapular dyskinesis before the clinical manifestation of the disease.
A prospective quantitative comparative descriptive approach was utilized to collect data from asymptomatic overhead athletes (cricket players), recruited from the university squads of the North West University (NWU) Potchefstroom Campus. The dominant and non-dominant AHD differences, as well as the change in AHD with and without SAT application over selected humeral abduction angles were determined at baseline (N=47). The cricketers were then divided into an exercise intervention and control group to determine whether the application of SAT has the same effect on the AHD measures as a controlled shoulder stability exercise intervention program. Only 27 (intervention group, n=14 and control group, n=13) of the original 47 participants completed the intervention (six weeks), as well as washout period...
M.Tech. (Radiography)