Asymmetry of dominant and non-dominant shoulders in university level men and women volleyball players

Abstract

Purpose. Volleyball involves repetitive forceful actions predominantly of one arm, which could eventually lead to an injury or shoulder pathology. the aim of the study was to compare the range of motion and strength in the dominant and non-dominant shoulders of university level volleyball players, with the objective of examining any differences between sexes. Methods. A total of 19 university level volleyball players (9 men: 81.3 ± 8.0 kg, 21 ± 1 years; 10 women: 66.0 ± 8.2 kg, 19 ± 1 years) participated. the passive internal and external range of motion of the dominant and non-dominant spiking shoulders were measured with a goniometer. the shoulder strength tests were performed on an isokinetic dynamometer at the speed of 60°/s in the concentric mode of contraction. Shoulder internal and external rotator concentric strength, range of motion, and internal/external rotation strength ratios were tested between arm dominance and sex with the use of 2-way mixed design ANOVA. Results. Internal and external rotation strength was asymmetrical in both men and women, in favour of the dominant side (p < 0.05). both men and women displayed asymmetrical external/internal ratios (p < 0.05), with greater ratios present in the non-dominant side. Conclusions. University level men and women volleyball players exhibit similar levels of significant asymmetry in the internal/external rotation strength between dominant and non-dominant spiking arms. Furthermore, subject-specific responses in strength asymmetries suggest further investigation at the individual level. Isokinetic shoulder screening could be used to reveal information about possible risk factors for shoulder injuries.

Inter-limb step asymmetry in closed and open skill sprint accelerations in soccer players

“…However, only 4 subjects had significant asymmetries in Ct, suggesting that Ft is the subcomponent that may be most susceptible to asymmetrical differences in soccer sprint acceleration. the inter-player differences in asymmetries reinforce the importance of individual analyses [22,24]. these findings are important to practitioners as they highlight that there are often significant asymmetries present in soccer players' acceleration sprint running step characteristics and that individuals employ different mechanisms to ensure that performance is regulated.…”

The Impact of Interaction between Body Posture and Movement Pattern Quality on Injuries in Amateur Athletes

“…Physical activity has an influence on body posture, especially when some specific demands associated with movement and behaviors occur such as in combat sports [ 21 ]. Male and female volleyball players at the university level exhibit significant asymmetry in rotation strength between their dominant and non-dominant arms [ 46 ]. These could be considered intrinsic injury risk factors due to overuse injury being associated with higher efforts in one body area, whereas other areas could be weak.…”

Upper extremities functional disability and pain intensity in female volleyball athletes: cross-sectional study

“…In sports that present sporting gestures above the head, such as volleyball, repetitive movements, such as serve and attack, impose significant loads and forces on the player's shoulder, increasing the risk of injuries, especially in the dominant limb 6,[30][31][32] . The attack has three phases: preparation, in which the athlete performs abduction with external rotation of the shoulder; acceleration, in which there is adduction and internal rotation to strike the ball with strength and speed that can reach over 100 km/h; and, finally, deceleration 21,33 .…”

“…The participants also completed the sport DASH, composed of four items that measure the difficulty encountered by athletes with upper limb dysfunction in their sports activities (also scored from zero to 100) 23 . After applying the formula, the participants were classified with: no limitation (1-20), mild limitation (21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40), moderate limitation (41-60), severe limitation (61-80) and very severe limitation (81-100). DASH is a self-applicable instrument and has proven to be reliable and valid in individuals with upper limb functional disability 23,25 .…”