Cecilia Chung
Pronouns:
Research Mentor(s): David Lipps
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Movement Science / Kinesiology
Program:
Authors: Cecilia Chung, Jodi Motlagh, David Lipps
Session: Session 2: 10:00 am – 10:50 am
Poster: 26
Abstract
The barbell bench press is one of three compound lifts performed in competitive powerlifting. The exercise trains the muscles of the upper body, and powerlifters complete this exercise with maximal load. 18-46% of injuries among competitive powerlifters are attributed to the bench press exercise. Tendinopathies of the rotator cuff complex and long head of biceps brachii and pectoralis major are found to be the most common cause of shoulder pain from the bench press. Therefore, the biomechanics of the shoulder joint will be studied in powerlifters during progressive fatigue during a bench press training session. Elite powerlifters will be examined who have completed the bench press in at least two powerlifting competitions with at least one in the past year. The participant must not have any history of shoulder surgery or symptoms of rotator cuff damage. The Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) will be used to assess enrollment. Following a warm-up, the participant will complete 3 sets of 8 repetitions of 73.9% of their self-reported 1 rep max. Three ultrasound images of the shoulder will be taken before and after each bench press set. Markerless motion capture will be used to record the participant during the entire training session to measure arm kinematics. The purpose of this study is to determine how fatigue during the bench press affects the thickness of the supraspinatus tendon (SST), size of the subacromial space (SAS), and the resulting occupation ratio and to establish the relationship between fatigue and shoulder joint kinematics. We hypothesize that increased fatigue will result in an acute difference in occupation ratio of the SST and SAS and that greater shoulder abduction and elbow flexion will occur to compensate for fatigue. We expect findings to detail how to reduce the risk of overuse injuries and repetitive strain on the shoulder among athletes.
