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Influence of posterior capsular tightness on throwing shoulder injury

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Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy Aims and scope

Abstract

Purpose

The role of posterior capsular tightness in throwing shoulder injury has not yet been clarified. Accordingly, the influence of posterior capsular tightness on the occurrence of throwing shoulder injury was investigated.

Methods

Sixty-one shoulders with throwing injury were retrospectively reviewed, including 50 tight shoulders and 11 non-tight shoulders. Occurrence of long head of biceps (LHB) lesions, superior glenohumeral ligament (SGHL) and middle glenohumeral ligament (MGHL) injuries, type 2 SLAP lesions, and supraspinatus and subscapularis tendon injuries was compared between the tight and non-tight groups.

Results

There were LHB lesions in 8 tight shoulders and 6 non-tight shoulders, SGHL injury in 14 and 8 shoulders, and subscapularis tendon injury in 6 and 5 shoulders, respectively, showing significant differences between tight and non-tight shoulders. In contrast, MGHL injury, type 2 SLAP lesions, and supraspinatus tendon injury showed no significant differences. The SLAP lesion was located anteriorly in 6 tight shoulders, posteriorly in 5, and combined in 4 versus 0, 3, and 0 for the non-tight shoulders, respectively, so anterior SLAP lesions only occurred in tight shoulders. Similarly, anterior supraspinatus tendon injuries had a higher incidence in tight shoulders than in non-tight shoulders (19 vs 3).

Conclusions

Rotator interval lesions were frequent in non-tight shoulders, while anterior SLAP lesions and anterior supraspinatus tendon injuries were predominant in tight shoulders. The significance of posterior capsular tightness should be reconsidered.

Level of evidence

Retrospective, Level IV.

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Conflict of interest

No author or related institute has received any financial benefit from research in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Sports Medicine, Yukioka Hospital, 2-2-3 Ukita, Kita-ku, Osaka, Osaka, 530-0021, Japan

    Shigeto Nakagawa & Naoko Mizuno

  2. Department of Sports Medicine, Osaka Kosei-nenkin Hospital, Osaka, Japan

    Minoru Yoneda, Shinichi Yamada & Wataru Sahara

  3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Osaka Police Hospital, Osaka, Japan

    Kenji Hayashida

Authors
  1. Shigeto Nakagawa
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  2. Minoru Yoneda
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  3. Naoko Mizuno
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  4. Kenji Hayashida
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  5. Shinichi Yamada
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  6. Wataru Sahara
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shigeto Nakagawa.

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Nakagawa, S., Yoneda, M., Mizuno, N. et al. Influence of posterior capsular tightness on throwing shoulder injury. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 21, 1598–1602 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-012-2107-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-012-2107-2

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