BACKGROUND Shoulder pain is the most common complaint for wheelchair athletes. Scapular orientation and dyskinesia are thought to be associated with shoulder pathology, yet no previous studies have examined the bilateral scapula kinematics of wheelchair athletes during propulsion. RESEARCH QUESTION To examine bilateral scapular kinematics of highly trained wheelchair rugby (WR) players and any associations with self-reported shoulder pain during everyday wheelchair propulsion. METHODS Ten WR players (5 with shoulder pain, 5 without) performed 2 × 3-minute bouts of exercise in their everyday wheelchair on a wheelchair ergometer at two sub-maximal speeds (3 and 6 km h-1). During the final minute, 3D kinematic data were collected at 100 Hz to describe scapulothoracic motion relative to each propulsion cycle. Instantaneous asymmetries in scapular orientation between dominant and non-dominant sides were also reported. Differences in scapular kinematics and propulsion asymmetries were compared across shoulders symptomatic and asymptomatic of pain. RESULTS An internally rotated, upwardly rotated and anteriorly tilted scapula was common during wheelchair propulsion and asymmetries ≤14° did exist, yet minimal changes were observed across speeds. Participants with bilateral shoulder pain displayed a less upwardly rotated scapula during propulsion, however large inter-individual variability in scapular kinematics was noted. SIGNIFICANCE Scapular asymmetries are exhibited by wheelchair athletes during wheelchair propulsion, yet these were not exacerbated by increased speed and had limited associations to shoulder pain. This suggests that propulsion kinematics of highly trained athletes may not be the primary cause of pain experienced by this population.

中文翻译：

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轮椅运动员的双侧肩胛骨运动学、不对称性和肩部疼痛。

背景技术肩痛是轮椅运动员最常见的主诉。肩胛骨方向和运动障碍被认为与肩部病变有关，但以前没有研究检查过轮椅运动员在推进过程中的双侧肩胛骨运动学。研究问题 检查训练有素的轮椅橄榄球 (WR) 运动员的双侧肩胛运动学，以及在日常轮椅推进过程中与自我报告的肩部疼痛的任何关联。方法 10 名 WR 球员（5 名肩痛，5 名没有肩痛）在他们的日常轮椅上使用轮椅测力计以两个次最大速度（3 和 6 km h-1）进行 2 × 3 分钟的锻炼。在最后一分钟，以 100 Hz 的频率收集 3D 运动学数据，以描述相对于每个推进周期的肩胛胸运动。还报道了优势侧和非优势侧之间的肩胛骨方向瞬时不对称。肩胛骨运动学和推进不对称的差异在有症状和无症状的肩部进行了比较。结果 在轮椅推进过程中，肩胛骨内旋、上旋和前倾很常见，并且确实存在 ≤14° 的不对称性，但在不同速度下观察到的变化很小。双侧肩痛的参与者在推进过程中肩胛骨向上旋转的幅度较小，但肩胛骨运动学的个体间差异很大。意义 轮椅运动员在轮椅推进过程中表现出肩胛骨不对称，但这些不对称并没有因速度增加而加剧，并且与肩部疼痛的关联有限。