Suprascapular Neuropathy in Collegiate Tennis Player: A Case Report.

Suprascapular neuropathy can be seen in overhead athletes and should be considered when evaluating an overhead athlete presenting with shoulder pain and/or weakness. The suprascapular nerve innervates the supraspinatus and the infraspinatus, but dynamic entrapment as it passes under the spinoglenoid ligament at the spinoglenoid notch can lead to isolated denervation of the infraspinatus. Specific movements common in tennis cause tensioning and compression of the spinoglenoid ligament and may predispose players to dynamic entrapment at this location. We present a case of an 18-year-old male collegiate tennis player presenting with suprascapular neuropathy causing isolated denervation of the infraspinatus. This case illustrates the consequences of noncompliance with physical therapy and serves as a review of the pathophysiology, evaluation, and treatment of suprascapular neuropathy.

Comparison of Muscle Onset Activation Sequences between a Golf or Tennis Swing and Common Training Exercises Using Surface Electromyography: A Pilot Study.

Aim. The purpose of this pilot study is to use surface electromyography to determine an individual athlete's typical muscle onset activation sequence when performing a golf or tennis forward swing and to use the method to assess to what degree the sequence is reproduced with common conditioning exercises and a machine designed for this purpose. Methods. Data for 18 healthy male subjects were collected for 15 muscles of the trunk and lower extremities. Data were filtered and processed to determine the average onset of muscle activation for each motion. A Spearman correlation estimated congruence of activation order between the swing and each exercise. Correlations of each group were pooled with 95% confidence intervals using a random effects meta-analytic strategy. Results. The averaged sequences differed among each athlete tested, but pooled correlations demonstrated a positive association between each exercise and the participants' natural muscle onset activation sequence. Conclusion. The selected training exercises and Turning Point™ device all partially reproduced our athletes' averaged muscle onset activation sequences for both sports. The results support consideration of a larger, adequately powered study using this method to quantify to what degree each of the selected exercises is appropriate for use in both golf and tennis.

Hemiplegic shoulder pain: an approach to diagnosis and management.

Stroke is a significant source of mortality and long-term disability in the United States. Of persons who survive a stroke, approximately 50% will have hemiplegia, half of whom will live with a nonfunctional arm. Hemiplegic shoulder pain (HSP), which occurs in most patients with hemiplegia, reduces participation and worsens outcomes in rehabilitation. Management of HSP is challenging because its causes are multifactorial and there is limited, conflicting, or nonspecific evidence in support of most treatments. This article develops an effective approach for diagnosis and treatment using the best available evidence to aid practitioners in obtaining optimal results.

Evaluation of the athlete with buttock pain.

Buttock (gluteal) pain is commonly experienced by athletes of all ages and activity levels. Evaluation of buttock pain can be challenging because the differential diagnoses are extensive. Symptoms may originate from the pelvis or hip or be referred from the lumbosacral spine or neurovascular structures. Few articles in the literature are dedicated to the primary complaint of buttock pain. The purpose of this article is to provide a clinical algorithm to assist the sports clinician in reaching an accurate diagnosis and initiating the appropriate treatment.