This study aimed to investigate the effects of exercise intervention on rounded shoulder posture and scapular kinematics in competitive swimmers.
Forty-two young competitive swimmers were randomly assigned to the exercise (n = 21) and control groups (n=21). The exercise group would undergo an eight-week exercise training program to correct rounded shoulder posture. Two testing sessions were conducted before and after the eight-week period. All participants underwent the shoulder pain and disability index (SPADI) to measure shoulder pain and function. The forward shoulder angle (FSA) was calculated to assess rounded shoulder posture. A digital inclinometer was used to assess the scapular upward rotation angle with the arm at humeral elevations of 0°, 60°, and 120°in the scapular plane.
Significant group-by-time interactions (p0.05) were found in SPADI, FSA, and scapular upward rotation angle with the arm at 120º. Post-hoc analysis revealed that the exercise group showed significant improvement in SPADI (12.69 ± 13.33 to 4.06 ± 3.5, p=0.001), FSA (53.62°± 2.27° to 44° ± 7.18°, p0.001). In the exercise group, scapular upward rotation at 120° significantly decreased (22.10° ± 7.75°to 15.31° ± 3.64°, p=0.007).
The implementation of an eight-week exercise training program corrected rounded shoulder posture, alleviated shoulder pain intensity, and improved shoulder functional ability among competitive swimmers. Moreover, this exercise intervention decreased scapular upward rotation at 120°.
An eight-week exercise training program to correct the upward rotation angle of the rounded shoulder posture could be a regular training protocol for competitive swimmers.
round shoulder posture
scapular kinematics
