Affiliations: [a] Graduate Institute and School of Physical Therapy,
College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taiwan, ROC | [b] Department of Balls, Taipei Physical Education
College, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC | [c] Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation,
National Taiwan University Hospital, Taiwan, ROC
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Mei-Hwa Jan, 7 Chung Shan South
Road, Graduate Institute and School of Physical Therapy, College of Medicine,
National Taiwan University, Taiwan, ROC 100. Tel.: +886 2 23123456 Ext 7556;
Fax: +886 22 23313598; E-mail: mhjan@ccms.ntu.edu.tw
Abstract: The objective of this study was to determine whether arm dominance
or gender differences of shoulder mobility and strength exist in elite junior
volleyball players. The range of shoulder motion and isokinetic muscle strength
in concentric and eccentric internal and external rotation at speeds of
60°/sec and 180°/sec in
both dominant and non-dominant shoulders were measured in eleven boys and
twelve girls who played for the Taiwanese national junior volleyball team
during the 2001–2002 season. Results showed that there were effects of both
dominance and gender on the range of shoulder internal
rotation p=0.001 and 0.02 respectively). In the boys, the
range of motion of internal rotation on the dominant side was less than that of
the non-dominant side (p=0.000). An effect of gender was
also demonstrated in the strength test (p=0.000). The boys
showed greater shoulder strength than the girls at both speed tests
(p=0.000), except for the internal rotational concentric and
eccentric strength of the dominant arm at 180°/sec
tests (p=0.02 and 0.21). The side-to-side (arm dominance)
difference of mobility in boys may indicate a mobility loss in these players.
Further studies are suggested to analyze the relationship between mobility loss
and mobility-related injuries of young players.
