Isokinetic torque imbalances of shoulder of the french women's national water polo team

Abstract

Summary Objective Evaluate the shoulder isokinetic strength of high-level female water polo players. Methods Two groups were compared: a control group of noncompetitive females (n = 10), and members of the French women's national water polo (n = 18). Isokinetic measurements focused on the shoulder internal rotators (IR) and external rotators (ER), the evaluations were realized at 60°·s−1 and 240°·s−1 in the concentric mode and at 60°·s−1 in the eccentric mode. Agonist–antagonist ratios (ER/IR) were calculated using the same speed and contraction mode for the agonist and antagonist muscle groups and the mixed ratio, combining peak torque (PT; N·m) of the ER in the eccentric mode at 60°·s−1 and PT of the IR in the concentric mode at 240°·s−1, was calculated. Results In concentric contraction, the PT of IR of the polo players was stronger than controls (P Conclusion Intensive engagement in playing water polo will lead to an asymmetry in terms of force, with a dominance of the internal rotors of the dominant shoulder.