Shoulder functional performance status of trained female volleyball athletes

• Main Author: Ang, Yujing
• Other Authors: Swarup Mukherjee
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: DRNTU::Science::General
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/76904
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Volleyball is a sport that requires repetitive overhead motions, where female athletes are at higher risks of incurring shoulder injuries. With an elevated risk of injury, it is important that female volleyball athletes are aware of their shoulder’s functional status and take necessary steps to preserve their shoulder functional performance. The Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic (KJOC) questionnaire is an effective yet simple instrument to evaluate the performance and functional status of the upper extremity in overhead athletes. This study aims to investigate the status of shoulder functional performance, identify possible factors associated with increased risks of incurring shoulder injuries, as well as establish a baseline shoulder functional performance score for the trained adult female volleyball athletes in Singapore. A cross-sectional design which involved 100 trained female volleyball athletes, aged 21 to 35 years old, currently participating in competitive volleyball was adopted. Athletes who reported current or previous shoulder injuries and had been in the sport for a longer time had lower KJOC scores. However, baseline scores were lower compared to past studies. Information on KJOC scores of different subgroups can be used to identify risks of incurring shoulder injuries. It also provides a quantification of the gap between healthy and injured athletes which may aid in rehabilitation for the injured population.