The Acute Effects of a Swimming Session on the Shoulder Rotators Strength and Balance of Age Group Swimmers.

Daniel A Marinho,Mário J Costa,Nuno Batalha,Jose A Parraca,Hugo Louro,António J Silva,Ana Conceição

doi:10.3390/ijerph18158109

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the acute effects of a standardized water training session on the shoulder rotators strength and balance in age group swimmers, in order to understand whether a muscle-strengthening workout immediately after the water training is appropriate. A repeated measures design was implemented with two measurements performed before and after a standardized swim session. 127 participants were assembled in male (n = 72; age: 16.28 ± 1.55 years, height: 174.15 ± 7.89 cm, weight: 63.97 ± 6.51 kg) and female (n = 55; age: 15.29 ± 1.28 years, height: 163.03 ± 7.19 cm, weight: 52.72 ± 5.48 kg) cohorts. The isometric torque of the shoulder internal (IR) and external (ER) rotators, as well as the ER/IR ratios, were assessed using a hand-held dynamometer. Paired sample t-tests and effect sizes (Cohen’s d) were used (p ≤ 0.05). No significant differences were found on the shoulder rotators strength or balance in males after training. Females exhibited unchanged strength values after practice, but there was a considerable decrease in the shoulder rotators balance of the non-dominant limb (p < 0.01 d = 0.366). This indicates that a single practice seems not to affect the shoulders strength and balance of adolescent swimmers, but this can be a gender specific phenomenon. While muscle-strengthening workout after the water session may be appropriate for males, it can be questionable regarding females. Swimming coaches should regularly assess shoulder strength levels in order to individually identify swimmers who may or may not be able to practice muscle strengthening after the water training.

Highlights

The shoulder rotator muscles play a critical role in providing stability and mobility to the glenohumeral joint and shoulder joint complex [1]
While the male swimmers revealed no acute effect after the water session, the female swimmers showed a significant increase in muscle imbalance in the non-dominant shoulder
This allows us to confirm that the muscle groups responsible for the internal rotation are the strongest, and this is in line with previous studies that included swimmers [3,9], athletes from other sports [6,19], and sedentary people [20]

Summary

Introduction

The shoulder rotator muscles play a critical role in providing stability and mobility to the glenohumeral joint and shoulder joint complex [1]. The propulsive forces responsible for the total body displacement are produced mainly by the upper limbs through the arm adduction and shoulder internal rotation [2]. The swimmers are classified as overhead athletes [3] because high levels of stress are installed in the upper body sections. There is evidence that water training induces shoulder muscle imbalances [4]. The shoulder adductor and the internal rotator (IR) show a tendency to become proportionally stronger when compared to their antagonists. Higher volumes of swimming training are associated with shoulder pain and injury [5]. Without the addition of preventive measures, this can lead to an acute or chronic injury process [6]

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