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Strength/endurance strategy to reduce pain/injuries from rotator cuff tendinopathy in male youth volleyball players

Abstract:

Introduction: The treatment and prevention of sports injuries is one of the fundamental directions of sport medicine and the training plan process. It seeks to optimize recovery time and avoid the appearance of recurrences and new injuries such as the ones of the rotator cuff, in volleyball. Objective: To evaluate of a strength/endurance strategy on the recurrence and pain of rotator cuff tendinopathy in male youth volleyball players. Methods: Quasi-experimental research where the pain and recurrence of rotator cuff tendinopathy in male youth volleyball players (n=28) are studied in two independent samples, after implementing a traditional recovery strategy (control group), and another with strength/endurance exercises in the experimental group, with a duration of eight weeks of intervention. Results: In the initial phase, both groups presented a similar high pain index (control: 7.5 points; experimental: 7.6 points). At the end of the treatments, the control group improved its pain index (-0.7 points) as well as the experimental one (-4.4 points), although there were significant differences in favor of the experimental group (p<0.05). The absolute frequency of injury recurrence was higher in the control group after one year of follow-up (5; 35.7%) compared with the experimental group (1; 7.1%). Conclusions: The implementation of a systematic strength/endurance strategy in youth volleyball players significantly reduces pain and injury recurrence in the rotator cuff more than traditional treatment, while favoring safer and more effective recovery and sports practice.