Glenohumeral internal rotation deficit in volleyball players with and without a history of shoulder pain

This study aimed to investigate physiological and pathological Glenohumeral Internal Rotation Deficit (GIRD) in volleyball players with and without a history of shoulder pain. Volleyball players with a history of shoulder pain (n = 18) and without a history of shoulder pain (n = 18), who were matched in age, weight, height, BMI, years of experience and frequency of practice were recruited for this cross-sectional study. Shoulder internal and external rotation Range of Motion (ROM) was measured for the dominant and non-dominant shoulders of each participant using a digital inclinometer. Measurements of GIRD, External Rotation Gain (ERG), and Total Range of Motion (TROM) were calculated. There were significantly higher degrees of GIRD in the pain group (15.65SUPERSCRIPT ZERO) than the no-pain group (9.06SUPERSCRIPT ZERO) (p=0.004) and significantly higher differences in the TROM in the pain group (16.17SUPERSCRIPT ZERO) than the no-pain group (10.17SUPERSCRIPT ZERO) (p=0.007). There was no correlation between the level of pain and the presented ROM adaptations. The study showed that for volleyball players, pathological GIRD should be defined at 10-18SUPERSCRIPT ZERO degrees of GIRD that are accompanied by differences in the TROM that exceeds 8SUPERSCRIPT ZERO.