Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 29, 2025
Anterior Capsular Reconstruction with Human Dermal Allograft for Irreparable Subscapularis Tears
Published on: May 9, 2025
Effects of Eccentric Versus Concentric Strengthening in Patients With Subacromial Pain Syndrome: A Randomized
Damla Karabay1,2, Sevgi Sevi Yeşilyaprak3,4, Mehmet Erduran5
1Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Health Sciences Faculty, Izmir Katip Celebi University, Izmir, Turkey.
Background:
Subacromial pain syndrome (SPS) is the most common cause of shoulder pain. Therapeutic exercise is the first-line treatment for SPS; however, the ideal exercise type remains unclear. Here, we compared the effects of eccentric and concentric strengthening in patients with SPS.
Hypothesis:
Adding isolated eccentric strengthening to a multimodal physiotherapy program (MPP) would lead to greater improvements in outcomes compared with either MPP alone or adding isolated concentric strengthening to the MPP.
Study Design:
Randomized controlled trial.
Level Of Evidence:
Level 2.
Methods:
A total of 45 patients were randomized to eccentric strengthening (ESG), concentric strengthening (CSG), and control (CG) groups; all groups received the MPP. The strengthening groups also performed group-specific strengthening. Shoulder pain, abduction and external rotation (ER) strength, joint position sense (JPS), the Constant-Murley Score (CMS), and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score were collected at baseline, after 12 weeks of treatment, and at week 24.
Results:
For CMS, ESG exhibited a greater, but not clinically meaningful, improvement than CSG and CG (P < 0.05). Eccentric abduction strength increased in ESG compared with CG. From baseline to follow-up, abduction strength increased in ESG compared with CSG and CG. Eccentric abduction strength increased in CSG compared with CG. JPS at abduction improved in the ESG compared with CG. Other between-group comparisons were not significant (P > 0.05).
Conclusion:
In SPS, eccentric strengthening provided added benefits, improving shoulder abduction strength and JPS at abduction, and was superior to concentric strengthening for improving shoulder abduction strength. Neither strengthening approach had an additional effect on shoulder function, pain, ER strength, or rotational JPS.
Clinical Relevance:
Clinicians could implement eccentric strengthening as a motor control retraining for strength and proprioception gain rather than for pain relief and reducing disability.
More Related Videos
05:20Development of a Rabbit Chronic-Like Rotator Cuff Injury Model for Study of Fibrosis and Muscular Fatty Degeneration
Published on: March 31, 2023
05:17Treatment Protocol for Rotator Cuff Calcific Tendinitis Using a Single-Crystal Piezoelectric Focused Shock Wave Source
Published on: December 23, 2022
Related Concept Videos
01:12General Case of Eccentric Axial Loading
Consider a member subjected to equal and opposite forces that are applied along a line that does not coincide with the member's neutral axis. In unsymmetrical...
01:16Eccentric Axial Loading in a Plane of Symmetry
01:21Design of Columns under an Eccentric Load