Comparing Two Shoulder Treatments for Athletes

Overview

Many athletes who play overhead sports like cricket develop tightness in the back of the shoulder. This causes pain and makes it hard to lift the arm. This study will compare two common physical therapy treatments: Kaltenborn joint mobilization (a specific manual therapy glide) versus a Pragmatic Posterior Capsular Stretch (a specific stretching technique). We want to see which one works better for pain, range of motion, and daily function. 28 athletes will be treated for 4 weeks, and we will measure their progress using a goniometer and the SPADI questionnaire.

This is a single-center, randomized controlled trial. Participants aged 22-40 years with a positive GIRD test (indicating posterior capsule tightness) will be recruited from pedal courts and clinics in Faisalabad. After obtaining informed consent, participants will be randomly assigned to one of two parallel groups using a random number generator. Group A (Experimental): Receives Pragmatic Posterior Capsular Stretch. The participant lies side-lying. The therapist stabilizes the scapula and applies medial rotation, extension, and traction for 30 seconds, repeated to achieve 15 minutes total per session. Group B (Active Comparator): Receives Kaltenborn Joint Mobilization (Posterior Glide). The participant is positioned with the shoulder abducted and externally rotated. The therapist applies a Grade III posterior glide with lateral distraction, sustained at end-range for 15 minutes. Both groups receive 3 sessions per week for 4 weeks (12 sessions total). Outcome measures (Pain via SPADI, ROM via Goniometer, Function via SPADI) are taken at baseline and at the end of 4 weeks. Data will be analyzed using SPSS version 20 using independent t-tests or Mann-Whitney U tests depending on normality.