SHOULDER ISOKINETIC PERFORMANCE IN HEALTHY PROFESSIONAL JUDO ATHLETES: NORMATIVE DATA

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Biomechanics
• Exercise Physiology

Background:

• Judo demands high shoulder strength and stability.
• Establishing normative isokinetic strength data is crucial for athlete assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine normative isokinetic shoulder strength values in professional judo athletes.
• To provide benchmarks for evaluating dominant vs. non-dominant limb strength.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 20 professional judo athletes (10 female).
• Isokinetic dynamometry used to assess shoulder strength (rotation, flexion, extension, abduction, adduction).
• Muscle torque data normalized by body mass index.

Main Results:

• Dominant shoulder limbs exhibited significantly higher peak torque and joint work in adduction, abduction, flexion, and extension (p <0.05).
• Strength deficits in the dominant limb were generally below 10%.
• Shoulder internal/external rotation ratios showed no significant side-to-side difference in male or female athletes.

Conclusions:

• Normative isokinetic shoulder strength data for professional judo athletes are established.
• These findings can guide clinical treatment, facilitate safe return-to-sport decisions, and inform injury prevention strategies.