Effectiveness of Mobilization versus Modified Cross Body Stretch in Posterior Shoulder Tightness in Pace Bowlers

Background: Posterior shoulder tightness is a common physical impairment in overhead athletes. The high number of repetitions and the large forces has been shown to relate to the presence of changes in a range of motion at the glenohumeral (GH) joint due to both soft tissue and osseous adaptations. The presence of limited GH motion that occurs as a result of posterior shoulder tightness can increase the risk of injury. The study aims to check the effectiveness of mobilization versus modified cross-body stretch in posterior shoulder tightness in overhead athletes.

Method: A total number of 10 players were selected for the study. Participants were divided into two groups of 5 players in each group. Group A treated with mobilization technique and Group B was treated with a modified cross-body stretch technique for 3 exercise sessions per week for 4 weeks. Two outcome measures were used, Range of motion (ROM) and GIRD/ GERG Ratio.

Result: Test used to compare groups, within the group Willcoxon Signed Rank Test was used, and between the groups, Mann Whitney U test was used. The result shows Mobilization technique and Group B treated with Modified cross-body stretch was individually effective to improve Range and ratio. While we compare both groups there was a significant difference in-between the groups.

Conclusion: The study shows that all the two groups were individually effective for posterior shoulder tightness. While comparing both the techniques, there is increased ROM of Internal rotation, horizontal adduction, and improvement in GIRD/GERG Ratio in the mobilization group.