title: Shoulder pain among high-level volleyball players and preseason features.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The main goal of this prospective study was to identify the most significant intrinsic risk factors for shoulder pain by measuring strength developed by shoulder rotators and by carrying out various morphostatic assessments.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-six players (mean ± SD age = 24 ± 5 yr) were recruited from nine volleyball teams from the first and second divisions (34 men and 32 women) to participate in the study. Before the start of the volleyball season, all the participants completed a preseason questionnaire and underwent both a bilateral isokinetic evaluation of the shoulders and morphostatic measurements. During the subsequent 6 months of the competition period, the players reported through a weekly questionnaire any shoulder pain experienced.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the ongoing season, 23% (15 of 66 players) of the volleyball players experienced dominant shoulder pain. Interestingly, participants who reported a history of dominant shoulder pain were found to have nine times higher risk of suffering further pain in their dominant shoulder. The eccentric maximal strength developed by the internal and external rotators was found to represent a protective factor in the volleyball players (respective odds ratios = 0.946, P = 0.01 and 0.94, P = 0.05). No risk factors were found among the shoulder morphostatic measurements.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our study, the evaluation of shoulder rotator muscle strength through isokinetic assessment, especially eccentric mode, appeared to be the most contributing parameter to identify risk factors for shoulder pain. This evaluation should allow to better identify players at risk.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Sport and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Liege, Liege, BELGIUM; 2Regional Hospital Centre of Lille, Lille, FRANCE; and 3Sports Medicine Research Laboratory, Public Research Centre for Health and Sports Clinic of the Hospital Centre of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, BELGIUM.
authors.forename: Benedicte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Forthomme
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Wieczorek
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Frisch
authors.forename: Jean-Michel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Crielaard
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Croisier
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D053580:Muscle Strength; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D012008:Recurrence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012399:Rotation; D012782:Shoulder / Q000502:physiology*; D012785:Shoulder Joint / Q000502:physiology; D020069:Shoulder Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D019415:Torque; D054798:Volleyball / Q000293:injuries / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult