title: Glenohumeral range of motion in handball players with and without throwing-related shoulder pain.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Overhead athletes are subject to adaptations in the shoulder including glenohumeral internal rotation deficit (GIRD). It has been documented that this alteration is more evident in overhead athletes with pain. Our objective was to compare glenohumeral rotation motion between symptomatic and asymptomatic handball players.
  
  
  METHODS
  Glenohumeral rotation range of motion, GIRD, external rotation gain (ERG), and total rotation motion were determined with a standard goniometer in 30 handball players with pain and 27 without pain. Differences between the throwing and non-throwing shoulder were determined in each group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Handball players with pain had significantly greater GIRD (P = .002), ERG (P = .027), and external rotation in the throwing arm (P = .042) and lesser internal rotation in the throwing arm (P = .029) in comparison to the athletes without pain. Comparisons between limbs exhibited a significant difference in the 2 groups regarding internal and external rotation (P < .02), but differences within the group with pain were greater. Differences were not found in the total rotation motion between the 2 groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Handball players showed specific adaptations in the throwing shoulder; in particular, handball players with pain have greater GIRD, ERG, and external rotation and lesser internal rotation of the throwing shoulder.
authors.affiliation: Sports Traumatology Center, Orthopaedic and Traumatology Department, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. gabriel_alm@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Gabriel Peixoto Leão
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.forename: Paula Fiquetti
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Silveira
authors.forename: Nathália Polisello
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Rosseto
authors.forename: Gisele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Barbosa
authors.forename: Benno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ejnisman
authors.forename: Moisés
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D012785:Shoulder Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*; D020069:Shoulder Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013177:Sports / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult