Functional and biomechanical predictors of pain and grip width in male Crossfit athletes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v71.117424Keywords:
Athletes, biomechanics, regression analysis, shoulder pain, ultrasonographyAbstract
Introduction: In male CrossFit athletes, shoulder pain was frequently reported and affected performance; its relationship with shoulder function, grip width, and clinical–biomechanical markers was examined.
Objective: To identify functional and biomechanical predictors of shoulder pain and grip width using multiple regression.
Methods: Quantitative, cross-sectional, correlational study with 35 male CrossFit athletes. Grip width, pain, shoulder function (American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scale), and subacromial space (ultrasonography) were measured; analyses included Spearman correlation, chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests, Student’s t or Mann–Whitney tests, and multiple linear regression (α = 0.05).
Results: A strong American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES)–pain correlation was observed (ρ = −0.90; p < 0.001). The model explained 91.7% of pain variance (R² = 0.917): greater function (β = −0.95; p < 0.001) and a larger resting subacromial space (p < 0.05) were associated with less pain, whereas glenohumeral instability and subacromial space in abduction increased pain (p < 0.05). For grip width, a positive Speed test increased width by ≈5.5 cm (p < 0.05), and more years of practice showed a smaller effect (p < 0.05).
Discussion: The results confirmed the inverse function–pain relationship and highlighted the importance of the dynamic behavior of the subacromial space; grip width was associated mainly with signs of the biceps–labrum complex and with training experience.
Conclusions: It is recommended to progress grip width based on functional assessment and dynamic ultrasonography, prioritizing function- and stability-oriented clinical decisions.
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