Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
4-16-2021
Abstract
Introduction
- Baseball is a repetitive overhead sport requiring coordinated shoulder movements with great speed and power, placing a high amount of stress on the shoulder complex
- Baseball players' throwing shoulders demonstrate altered scapular kinematics compared to their non-throwing shoulder
- We hypothesize that kinesio tape application will significantly alter the scapular kinematics of the throwing shoulder in collegiate baseball players
Participants
- 15 current or former Division 2 and 3 collegiate baseball players from Concordia University, St. Paul and Hamline University
- Inclusion Criteria: Subjects had played collegiately within the last 5 years
- Exclusion Criteria: Extrinsic conditions or underlying pathology that effects the kinematics of the scapula, recent surgery, referred symptoms, or allergy to adhesive
Methods
- Kinesio tape was applied to the dominant throwing shoulder
- 3D motion of the humerous and scapula were measured using the G4 electromagnetic motion capture system and MotionMonitor software
- Shoulder flexion, abduction, and scapular plane elevation were performed on the dominant arm with, then without, tape; then once again on the non-dominant arm without tape
- Repeated-measures ANOVA and matched paired t-tests
Results
- Fifteen collegiate Division 2 and Division 3 baseball players participated, 12 of which were right hand dominant. Ages ranged from 18-24; an average of 20.9 plus or minus 1.8. No participants were excluded.
- During humerothoracic elevation in the scapular plane, there were no significant differences in scapular motion. During humerothoracic abduction, dominant arm with KT was statistically significant for change in posterior tilting (Table 1).
- The results of the matched pairs t tests demonstrated that Dominant KT was statistically significant from Dominant No-KT and non-dominant (Table 2). This indicated that Dominant KT resulted in increased posterior tilting.
Conclusion
- KT application resulted in increased scapular posterior tilting of the throwing shoulder during abduction
- Increased upward rotation and posterior tilting contributes to increased subacromial space
- Future recommendations would include further research on symptomatic baseball players
Clinical Relevance
- The use of kinesio tape is a potential avenue to decreasing shoulder pain in collegiate baseball players based on the loss of posterior tilting associated with subacromial impingement.
Recommended Citation
Rundquist, Peter J. PT, PhD; Olstad, Lars; Redemske, Brian; Thacker, Adam; and Widmer, Thane, "The Effect of Kinesio Tape on Scapular Kinematics in Collegiate Baseball Players" (2021). DPT Capstone Posters. 10.
https://digitalcommons.csp.edu/dpt-posters/10