The Effect of Core Stability Exercises on Pain, Muscle Strength, and Muscle Architecture in Tennis Players With Rotator Cuff Lesions

The shoulder joint is prone to injury due to its unique anatomy. Rotator cuff lesions (RCL) are a common cause of shoulder pain, with a prevalence of 81% (1). One effective approach for monitoring muscle function is to visualize the architectural structure of the muscle. Muscle architecture is the examination of the structural arrangement of muscle fibers, muscle thickness, pennation angle, and number of sarcomeres according to the force generation axis (2). Ultrasonographic muscle architecture measurements provide a rapid and objective evaluation to examine the pathology of the muscles associated with subacromial impingement syndrome (3).

Muscle strength measurement is a physical performance measurement used to determine the loss of strength in the muscle and to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention by resisting the muscle (4). It is worth noting that the strength of the rotator cuff muscles, especially the external and internal force-generating muscles of the shoulder, may be somewhat reduced in athletes with RCL. Strength measurement of these muscles can provide valuable data in shoulder evaluation (5). It is also worth mentioning that shoulder injuries are quite common in tennis. In addition to physiotherapy methods, the success rate in RCL treatment may be enhanced by exercise (6). In shoulder rehabilitation, core exercises are designed to help restore functional movements through the elimination of pain and the dynamic stability of the rotator cuff and scapular muscles. The goal is to strengthen the shoulder girdle muscles and achieve sufficient joint range of motion, especially by providing neuromuscular re-education with therapeutic exercises.

References

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