AVALIAÇÃO DA AMPLITUDE DE ROTAÇÃO INTERNA E ENCURTAMENTO DA CÁPSULA POSTERIOR DO COMPLEXO DO OMBRO DE JOGADORES DA EQUIPE MASCULINA DE HANDEBOL DO MUNICÍPIO DE VARGINHA

Abstract

The literature reports a large incidence of shoulder injury in athletes who practice throwing sports above the head, such as handball. Excessive physical demands of sports performance may cause certain musculoskeletal adaptations, which determine changes in the range of motion (ROM) of the shoulder. Such changes have been documented in studies that evaluated the ROM of internal and external rotation of the dominant shoulder compared to the nondominant. The objective of the study was to evaluate and compare the ROM of internal rotation and shortening of the posterior capsule of the dominant shoulder with the nondominant ones in athletes of the men's handball team of the city of Varginha, considering the hypothesis that the early detection of the respective factor of risk assists in decision-making for the development of preventive programs. Twenty-one athletes participated in the study, and the characterization analysis of the subjects was combined with the data from the comparative evaluations of the ROM variables of internal rotation and shortening of the posterior capsule between the dominant and non-dominant shoulders. Statistically significant differences were found when comparing the data, considering the value of P ≤ 0.05. On the other hand, there is still no consensus in the literature on the evidence of the relationship between changes in shoulder mobility and injuries in throwing athletes. It is concluded that the early detection of possible musculoskeletal changes should be part of the preventive approach aimed at handball athletes. Within this context, conservative physiotherapeutic treatment has a prominent role.