Abstract des Autors

Everyday, overhead and throwing athletes take to their respective venues, fearless and impervious to the deleterious effects of repetitive deceleration of the arm. Left unchecked, even the best conditioned athletes may eventually succumb to rotator cuff pathology. Once physical demands exceed the shoulder's static and dynamic capacities to maintain functional stability, debilitating injuries such as tendonitis, impingement, or lesions can occur. With the onset of any such degenerative injury, athletes tend to compensate slightly with their mechanics, transferring forces to otherwise healthy muscles, in order to perform within a pain-free range of motion. If the overall integrity of the shoulder complex becomes compromised by a primary injury, transferring of normally maximal forces to the weakened shoulder will place the shoulder and the athlete at greater risk for a traumatic and often career-ending injury. The key to longevity with overhead sports is maintaining muscular balance within the shoulder complex, especially within the shoulder complex, especially that of the scapulothoracic and the glenohumeral joints. Together, these articulations work in concert to provide stability to an otherwise anatomically unstable joint. Verf.-Referat