Abstract
Abstract:Background: Prolonged participation in overhead sports creates shoulder muscle imbalances that eventually alter the efficacy of the shoulder stabilizer muscles and heighten injury risk such as subacromial impingement syndrome.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine if ultrasound is effective to measure the acromiohumeral distance (AHD) to compare the effect of the scapular assistance test (SAT) on the AHD with a prehabilitative exercise intervention program in asymptomatic cricket players.
Method: Baseline testing on cricket players from the North-West University cricket squat (N=47) included AHD measurements performed by a sonographer at 0°, 30° and 60° humeral abduction angles, with and without the SAT application. Players were then randomly assigned to an intervention and control group. The control group continued with their normal in-season programme whereas the intervention group additionally performed shoulder stability exercises for six weeks.
Results: The exercise intervention had a similar effect as SAT on the AHD at 0º abduction in the intervention group. The AHD measurements in the intervention group indicated widening at all abduction angles after the six-week intervention period, whereas the AHD...