Clinical trial NCT06875596: The Effectiveness of an Exercise Program on Scapulohumeral Rhythm, Range of Motion, and Stability in Young Female Handball Players
Official title: The Effectiveness of an Exercise Program on Scapulohumeral Rhythm, Range of Motion, and Shoulder Girdle Stability in Young Female Handball Players
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION
Phase: NA
Conditions: Scapular Dyskinesis
Handball Players
Female Athlete
Keywords: Handball
Sports Performance Assessment
Muscle Strength assessment
Scapular
Scapular dyskinesis
Lead sponsor: Medical University of Gdansk
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Gdansk College of Health
First posted: 2025-03-13
Enrollment: 60
Sex: FEMALE
Minimum age (years): 16
Maximum age (years): 45
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The primary objective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of a shoulder girdle exercise program in improving stability, range of motion, and motor control in female handball players.

Detailed description: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of a structured shoulder girdle exercise programme on stability, range of motion (ROM) and motor control in female handball players. The study will be conducted over a period of 8 weeks and will involve 60 participants aged 17-30 years recruited from professional handball clubs. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the experimental group, which will follow a modified version of the Watson programme, or the control group, which will continue with their standard training programme. Aims: - To compare the effects of the upper scapular rotation-oriented exercise intervention with a standardised upper extremity exercise programme. - Scapulohumeral rhythm assessment: To assess scapulohumeral rhythm at different angles of shoulder flexion (30°, 60°, 90° and 120°) in young female handball players, with a focus on identifying potential asymmetries between the dominant and non-dominant limbs. - Analysis of scapular kinematics: To measure scapular upward rotation, anterior/posterior tilt and medial/lateral translation at different degrees of shoulder flexion to identify movement patterns associated with scapular dyskinesis. - Functional stability analysis: To assess upper extremity functional stability using the Y-Balance Upper Quarter Test (YBT-UQ) and the Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test pre- and post-exercise to identify potential correlations between stability improvements and changes in scapular rhythm and muscle activation. - Isometric strength measurement: To evaluate isometric strength in shoulder abduction, internal rotation and external rotation using the Lafayette HHD handheld dynamometer to assess the impact of the intervention on shoulder muscle performance.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Healthy individuals with no reported health problems
* No history of shoulder or elbow surgery within the past 2 years
* Received information about the study
* Written consent from the participant to participate in the study, including video recording and photography

Exclusion criteria:

* Injury or trauma to the upper extremity within the past 3 months
* Illness that prevents participation in the study or tests
* Heavy physical activity of the shoulder girdle within 2 hours prior to the study
* Orthopedic surgery or physiotherapy treatment of the shoulder girdle

Primary outcomes:
measure: Scapulohumeral rhythm
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 2 years
measure: ISOMETRIC STRENGTH TEST - Internal and External Rotation
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 2 years
measure: Y-Balance Upper Quarter Test (YBT-UQ)
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 2 years
Secondary outcomes:
measure: RANGE OF MOTION (Shoulder Internal and External Rotation)
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 2 years
measure: Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 2 years
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Gdańsk
country: Poland
facility: Department of Immunobiology and Environment Microbiology, Medical University of Gdańsk
state: Pomorskie
Study officials:
References: