Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc DOI 10.1007/s00167-017-4426-9 SHOULDER Rotational glenohumeral adaptations are associated with shoulder pathology in professional male handball players Przemyslaw Lubiatowski 1,2  · Piotr Kaczmarek 2  · Pawel Cisowski 2  · Ewa Breborowicz 1  · Monika Grygorowicz 2  · Marcin Dzianach 2  · Tomasz Krupecki 2  · Lior Laver 3  · Leszek Romanowski 1   Received: 20 September 2016 / Accepted: 3 January 2017 © European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery, Arthroscopy (ESSKA) 2017 Both internal rotation defcits (>25°) and total arch of motion defcit (>20°) co-existed with higher incidence of internal impingement. Shoulder pain was common (36/97– 41%) and was associated with decreased external rotation and total arch of motion. Internal impingement (found in 13/87–15%) correlated with decreased rotation ranges and a greater defcit in total arch of motion, whereas higher gain in external rotation correlated with a partial rotator cuf tear (found in 12/87–14%). Conclusions Shoulder pathologies and problems com- monly afected the group of handball players. Greater glenohumeral rotational defcits in throwing shoulders of handball players correlate with shoulder pain and internal impingement, while increased external rotation with par- tial rotator cuf tears. Such defcits afect 13% of the ath- lete population. Major clinical relevance of the study is to monitor handball players’ shoulders both clinically and by proper imaging. Evaluation of range of rotation seems to identify shoulders at risk of the pathology. Abstract Purpose Glenohumeral range of motion adaptations may afect throwing athletes and contribute to shoulder injury. The purpose of this study was to evaluate shoulder rotation defcits among elite professional handball players and its correlation to the presence of shoulder pain and morpho- logical changes. Methods Eighty-seven elite professional handball players and 41 healthy non-athlete volunteers participated in the study. Evaluations included measurement of range of inter- nal and external rotation, total arch of motion, identifca- tion of shoulder pain and ultrasound scan for diagnosis of rotator cuf tears and internal impingement. Results Glenohumeral rotational defcits (>20–25°) were found among 11 players group (13%). The throwing shoul- ders in the players group showed a decrease in internal rotation and an increase in external rotation with signif- cantly larger ranges among players compared to the non- athlete group. Internal rotation defcit >20° was associated with higher incidence of shoulder pain among players. * Przemyslaw Lubiatowski p.lubiatowski@rehasport.pl Piotr Kaczmarek piotr.kaczmarek@rehasport.pl Pawel Cisowski pawel.cisowski@rehasport.pl Ewa Breborowicz ewabreborowicz@gmail.com Monika Grygorowicz monika.grygorowicz@rehasport.pl Marcin Dzianach marcin.dzianach@rehasport.pl Tomasz Krupecki tomasz.krupecki@rehasport.pl Lior Laver laver17@gmail.com Leszek Romanowski romanowski@data.home.pl 1 Department of Traumatology, Orthopaedics and Hand Surgery, University of Medical Sciences in Poznan, ul. 28 Czerwca 1956r 135, 62-545 Poznań, Poland 2 Rehasport Clinic, ul. Górecka 20, 60-201 Poznań, Poland 3 Department of Orthopaediscs, University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, Cliford Bridge Rd, Coventry CV2 2DX, UK