Shoulder Ultrasound in the Diagnosis of the Suprascapular Neuropathy in Athletes

Application of Ultrasound Diagnosis Technology Based on Statistical Analysis in Rehabilitation Treatment of Shoulder Sports Injuries

Objective

This study uses statistics to analyze the diagnostic significance of ultrasonic exploration for rotator cuff injuries.

Methods

For this study, 50 patients with rotator cuff injury or shoulder impingement syndrome admitted to the hospital from September 2017 to January 2019 were selected as the targets of this discussion. The general clinical materials of the patients were retrospectively analyzed, and ultrasound was performed for them. The results of the examination and arthroscopy are compared with the final pathological results.

Results

The diagnostic sensitivity of ultrasound in the diagnosis of partial rupture and complete rupture of the supraspinatus tendon was 100%, and the specificity was 55.55%. The diagnostic sensitivity of partial rupture and complete rupture of the subscapular tendon was 100%, and the specificity was 42.8%; there was no significant difference compared with the joint mirror examination, and there was no statistical significance.

Conclusion

The thesis adopts ultrasound exploration for patients with rotator cuff injuries with high diagnostic sensitivity. It is a reliable and effective clinical diagnosis method, which is worthy of clinical application and promotion.

Goal-Oriented Optimization of Dynamic Simulations to Find a Balance between Performance Enhancement and Injury Prevention during Volleyball Spiking

Performance enhancement and injury prevention are often perceived as opposite sides of a coin, where focusing on improvements of one leads to detriment of the other. In this study, we used physics-based simulations with novel optimization methods to find participant-specific, whole-body mechanics of volleyball spiking that enhances performance (the peak height of the hitting hand and its forward velocity) while minimizing injury risk. For the volleyball spiking motion, the shoulder is the most common injury site because of the high mechanical loads that are most pronounced during the follow-through phase of the movement. We analyzed 104 and 209 spiking trials across 13 participants for the power and follow-through phases, respectively. During the power phase, simulations increased (p < 0.025) the peak height of the hitting wrist by 1% and increased (p < 0.025) the forward wrist velocity by 25%, without increasing peak shoulder joint torques, by increasing the lower-limb forward swing (i.e., hip flexion, knee extension). During the follow-through phase, simulations decreased (p < 0.025) peak shoulder joint torques by 75% elicited by synergistic rotation of the trunk along the pathway of the hitting arm. Our results show that performance enhancement and injury prevention are not mutually exclusive and may both be improved simultaneously, potentially leading to better-performing and injury-free athletes.

Did the prevalence of suprascapular neuropathy in professional volleyball players decrease with the changes occurred in serving technique?

Objectives: Suprascapular neuropathy is more frequent in volleyball as compared to other overhead sports. This study aims to report the actual prevalence of suprascapular neuropathy among elite volleyball players. The hypothesis is that becoming jump topspin serves the most common serving technique, suprascapular neuropathy reduced its frequency. Methods: A total of 82 professional players were enrolled in the study. The presence of symptoms and the type of serve preferably performed were investigated. The strength and trophicity of the supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles were evaluated. Patients with positive clinical findings underwent MRI of the shoulder. Results: The jump topspin serve was found to be the most popular type of serve both in males and females. At physical examination, 9% of the males and 12% of the females presented with infraspinatus muscle hypotrophy. Each case was accompanied by external rotation weakness. None of them complained of pain or reduced performance when they played. MRI confirmed infraspinatus muscle atrophy in all subjects. Conclusion: A lower prevalence of suprascapular neuropathy was found as compared with that previously reported in the 1980s and 1990s. A reduction in the popularity of the float serve seems to be a possible explanation. Thus, the jump topspin serve could be safe for suprascapular neuropathy and associated injuries in volleyball. The findings of this study should be considered by athletes and coaches for the prevention of activity-related injuries.