Tensiomyography of Selected Upper-Limb Muscles in Crossminton Players

Abstract

Summary Background: Crossminton is characterized by the repetition of specific one-side movements that is the determining factor of the development of muscle asymmetry and damage to the musculoskeletal system. Aim: The purpose of the study was to identify the lateral symmetry between the dominant and nondominant upper limb of crossminton players and to compare the muscle profile of the players with the recommendation values of tennis players. Methods: Four elite crossminton players with world ranking position in top 10 participated in our study. We used a tensiomyography to measure the occurrence of functional disorders of the upper limb muscles. Tensiomyography measures were obtained for 8 muscles: m. deltoideus posterior, m. deltoideus anterior, m. pectoralis major, m. biceps brachii, m. triceps brachii, m. brachioradialis, m. flexor digitorum, m. extensor digitorum. We represented the parameters of overall lateral symmetry, maximal displacement (Dm) and contraction time (Tc) for each player individually. Results: Individual TMG-derived parameters such as Tc, Dm and lateral symmetry were different between the dominant and non-dominant upper limb. The major finding of this study was that in each crossminton player was found a significantly overall lateral asymmetry of m. triceps brachii. Interestingly, Tc and Dm values were higher in the non-dominant limb in m. triceps brachii compared to the dominant limb for all the crossminton players. Conclusions: According to the results of this study, finding the occurrence of muscle asymmetry between the upper limbs, we recommend carry out regular diagnostics of the musculoskeletal system and the inclusion of compensatory exercises, which would prevent or reduce the occurrence of muscle imbalance.