Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

2026

Abstract

Introduction

  • Research on women’s lacrosse athletes has focused on the lower extremity, highlighting the need for upper extremity investigation within this population
  • Scapular kinematics play a critical role in shoulder function and injury risk in overhead athletes1
  • Symptomatic individuals demonstrate decreased upward rotation during elevation2
  • Lacrosse athletes perform repetitive overhead movements resulting in risk of upper extremity injuries (23% prevalence) including the shoulder (6-9% prevalence)3
  • Purpose: To compare dominant and nondominant shoulder complex kinematics in asymptomatic NCAA Division II female lacrosse athletes

Methods

Participants

  • 10 NCAA Division II right handed lacrosse players (age 18-22, ave = 19.6 years) participated in the study from 2024 to 2025
  • Data from an 11th participant was lost due to data collection error

Test and measures

  • Motion-tracking data was recorded at 120 Hz using the G4 electromagnetic motion capture system.
  • Analysis consisted of 3 paired sample t-tests
  • Normality was confirmed with Shapiro-Wilk test
  • Alpha was set at 0.05

Results

  • The figure outlines the results. Mean dom SABD was 3.6 deg greater, mean dom GH elev was 4.7 deg less, and mean ST UR was 6.6 deg more than non
  • No statistically significant differences were found between dominant and nondominant arms (Table)
  • Post-hoc sample size analysis determined 60 participants would be necessary to find statistically significant difference in STUR6

Clinical Application

  • In previous a study, volleyball participants demonstrated statistically significant 6.8 degree greater dom shoulder STUR7
  • Baseball and volleyball athletes are unilateral, lacrosse is bilateral
  • Lacrosse is not consistently an overhead sport
  • Further research is warranted to continue to examine side-to-side differences in STUR and to determine whether variations in scapulothoracic STUR is associated with increased risk for shoulder complex injuries

Conclusion

  • The lacrosse SABD data mirrors previous baseball and volleyball findings.
  • If confirmed with additional participants, the increased STUR found in this study would support previous findings that asymptomatic participants have more STUR during SABD

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