Effects of Neuromuscular Taping on Shoulder Pain and Function in Pitchers: A Clinical Trial

N/ANot Yet RecruitingNCT07316946

Sandra Jiménez-del-Barrio62 enrolled

Overview

Randomized clinical trial 2 arms

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

DOUBLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Shoulder Pain

Interventions

Experimental GroupOTHER

The experimental group will receive a multilayer neuromuscular taping application using kinesiotape, consisting of the placement of two longitudinal strips in the direction of the lower trapezius, applied with tension close to 100% of the tape's elastic capacity. During the application, participants will be asked to activate the scapular depressor and retractor muscles. Additionally, two other longitudinal strips will be applied from the anterior portion of the humeral head toward the scapular spine, also with tension close to 100%. During this application, participants will be asked to activate the rotator cuff through a posteroanterior push of the humeral head.

Placebo GroupOTHER

The placebo group will receive the same taping, with an identical arrangement of the strips, but without applying any tension (0%) to them. In addition, participants will not receive any instructions regarding muscle activation during the application. This placebo taping model has been used in previous studies, supporting its methodological validity.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * age over 18 years * compete in a sport that involves overhead movement patterns * train at least 2 hours per week * shoulder pain lasting more than six weeks * shoulder pain related to sports activity * understand Spanish fluently enough to complete the questionnaire assessment. Exclusion Criteria: * presence of red flags that could suggest fractures, dislocations, or complete tendon ruptures, among others * neurological pathologies * other severe pathologies such as inflammatory arthritis, frozen shoulder * having received corticosteroid injections or physiotherapy treatment in the last six months * presence of previous surgeries * pregnancy * cognitive deficits that could limit the comprehension of the questionnaires or the physical evaluation * skin problems that would be a contraindication for any type of bandage.

Locations (1)

Faculty of Health Sciences

Soria, Soria, Spain

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Actual Pain Intensity

Pain intensity will be assessed using a 10-cm visual analog scale (VAS), ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain). Participants will be asked to rate the intensity of pain experienced at the time of measurement

Time frame: Baseline, after 30 minutes of the intervention and 72 hours after intervencion

Pain Intensity during the arm elevation

Time frame: Baseline, 30 minutes after intervention and 72 hours after intervention

Secondary Outcomes

Static Scapular Position

Scapular position will be measured using an anterior/posterior scale. This static position will be recorded while standing, using a digital clinometer installed on a smartphone (Clinometer app). The inclinometer will be positioned directly over the scapular spine in the direction of the infraglenoid fossa.

Time frame: Baseline, 30 minutes after intervention and 72 hours after intervention

Range of Motion

Pain-free ROM during shoulder flexion, adduction, internal rotation, and external rotation will be measured following the protocol described by Shin et al.Participants will be instructed to flex the affected arm as far as possible, keeping the thumb pointing toward the ceiling. For adduction measurement, the patient will be placed in the side-lying position, and the evaluator will manually stabilize the scapula against the patient's thorax, allowing the arm to hang horizontally in adduction. For internal and external rotation, participants will be positioned supine with the shoulder abducted to 90°, the elbow flexed to 90°, and the forearm in a neutral position. A rolled towel will be placed under the humerus to maintain shoulder alignment. Participants will be asked to rotate their arm until pain onset or until scapular movement is observed. Three attempts of each movement will be recorded, and the mean range of motion (ROM) will be used for statistical analysis.

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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