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Context: Athletes who throw commonly use rubber-tubing resistance exercises in the field setting to assist with warm-up before throwing. Yet no researchers have described which muscles are being activated or which exercises are most effective during rubber-tubing exercises used by throwers for warm-up.Objective: To describe the effectiveness of 12 rubber-tubing resistance exercises commonly used by throwers in activating the shoulder muscles important for throwing.Design: Descriptive research design.Setting: An applied biomechanics research laboratory.Patients or Other Participants: Fifteen physically active male subjects with no history of shoulder injury.Main Outcome Measure(s): Subjects randomly performed 12 rubber-tubing resistance exercises while we assessed muscle activation of the subscapularis, supraspinatus, teres minor, and rhomboid major by indwelling electromyography. Activation of the sternal portion of the pectoralis major, anterior deltoid, middle deltoid, latissimus dorsi, serratus anterior, biceps brachii, triceps brachii, lower trapezius, and infraspinatus muscles was assessed by surface electromyography.Results: Performance of 7 exercises (external rotation at 90 degrees of abduction, throwing deceleration, humeral flexion, humeral extension, low scapular rows, throwing acceleration, and scapular punch) resulted in the highest level of muscle activation of all muscles tested.Conclusions: These 7 exercises exhibited moderate activation (>20% maximal voluntary isometric contraction) in each muscle of the rotator cuff, the primary humeral movers, and the scapular stabilizer muscles. The results suggest that these exercises are most effective in activating the muscles important to the throwing motion and may be beneficial for throwers during their prethrowing warm-up routine.
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OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of currently available sensorimotor assessment techniques. DATA SOURCES: We drew information from an extensive review of the scientific literature conducted in the areas of proprioception, neuromuscular control, and motor control measurement. Literature searches were conducted using MEDLINE for the years 1965 to 1999 with the key words proprioception, somatosensory evoked potentials, nerve conduction testing, electromyography, muscle dynamometry, isometric, isokinetic, kinetic, kinematic, posture, equilibrium, balance, stiffness, neuromuscular, sensorimotor, and measurement. Additional sources were collected using the reference lists of identified articles. DATA SYNTHESIS: Sensorimotor measurement techniques are discussed with reference to the underlying physiologic mechanisms, influential factors and locations of the variable within the system, clinical research questions, limitations of the measurement technique, and directions for future research. CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS: The complex interactions and relationships among the individual components of the sensorimotor system make measuring and analyzing specific characteristics and functions difficult. Additionally, the specific assessment techniques used to measure a variable can influence attained results. Optimizing the application of sensorimotor research to clinical settings can, therefore, be best accomplished through the use of common nomenclature to describe underlying physiologic mechanisms and specific measurement techniques.