Muscle activity alternations in preadolescent swimmers with shoulder pain

Background. Shoulder pain is the most often declared musculoskeletal injury among swimmers. It evolves due to overuse injuries and/or functional disorders, which may result from neuromuscular control deficits. The aim of this study was to check the epidemiology of shoulder pain in preadolescent swimmers and to check the muscle activity of serratus anterior and upper trapezius muscles comparing two groups of athletes. Material and methods. 22 swimmers from one team were divided in two groups: those with the history of shoulder pain and those without any previous syndromes. After functional examination of the shoulder region, we performed surface electromyography examination during the shoulder flexion in scapular plane. Results. 27% of the whole group reported at least one episode of shoulder pain. Con­cerning electromyography examination, we observed increased serratus anterior activity in symptomatic group (p-value=0,0245) Conclusions. 1. Preadolescent swimmers aged 10-14 present previous episodes of the shoulder pain but its prevalence is lesser comparing to the adult athletes. 2. Previous pain episodes may alter the electromyographic recording and may be considered as a protective mechanism but they can also change the shoulder mechanics.