J. Vaeckenstedt et Ne. Friederich, SHOULDER PROBLEMS IN LEISURE ATHLETES - E FFECTIVE MANAGEMENT IN EVERYDAY PRACTICE, Schweizerische medizinische Wochenschrift, 126(11), 1996, pp. 447-456
At first sight the anatomy of the shoulder may seem simple (see Fig. 1
). However, for the physician treating a patient suffering from should
er pain, the scapulo-thoracal interplay of 5 joints and 19 muscles, pr
oviding a wide and varied range of motion, may constitute an obstacle
difficult to overcome. In the leisure athlete acute injuries must be d
istinguished from degenerative disease. Contact sports in particular t
end to involve risks of falling on the shoulder, injuring the shoulder
girdle or the elbow and wrist, sometimes with major consequences: com
plex fractures, dislocations, ligament and tendon lesions or joint ins
tabilities. Thorough, rapid and cost-effective diagnostic evaluation o
f the athlete, involving clinical examination (function tests), radiog
raphic imaging (shoulder a.p., y-view) and in selected cases ultrasono
graphy (compared with the other side) may be necessary in starting ear
ly and effective therapy.