Scapulothoracic kinematics during scaption after one year of tennis practice in elite girl players
Résumé
The unilateral and repetitive nature of tennis involves shoulder sport-specific adaptations. The extreme humeral external rotation associated to the arm elevation at the end of the cocking phase during tennis serve repeats the natural contact between the greater tuberosity and the posterosuperior part of the glenoid cavity (Mihata et al. 2012). An improper positioning of the scapula onto the thorax may exacerbate the area and/or the pressure of this contact, and posterosuperior and superior impingement can occur (Mihata et al. 2012). Studies focusing on scapular motion are recent, and few information are available on the alterations in scapulothoracic kinematics with tennis playing. Furthermore, intensive tennis practice may begin at early age to potentially attain the professional level, but the knowledge on the scapular adaptations of immature body remains undeveloped. This study therefore aimed to bilaterally compare the scapular kinematics during scaption before and after one year of tennis practice in elite girl players.