Therapeutic Scraping for the Treatment of Chronic Overuse Injury of the Shoulder of CrossFit Athlete

Posted:Monday, August 4, 2014

Honorable Mention
Stacey Meek
Louisburg, NC

Background: CrossFit is an exercise regimen of constantly varied (CV), functional movements (FM) performed at high intensity (@HI) in a communal environment and often includes the use of Olympic weightlifting techniques and gymnastic maneuvers to build muscle and increase cardiovascular endurance. The three Olympic lifts are the Clean, Jerk, and Snatch. All of these lifts require rotation of the shoulder under heavy load and CrossFit requires that these lifts be performed with speed, thus putting significantly more strain on the rotator cuff muscles than non-weight-bearing exercises.

Objective: This case study will test the effects of consistent, focused therapeutic scraping on a CrossFit athlete with chronic overuse injury to the right shoulder resulting in limited range of motion and, therefore, limited progress in training.

Method: This study spanned 5 weeks in which the client was assessed and treated every 7 days for 30-40 minutes with goniometric measurements of internal rotation in the right shoulder recorded at the beginning and end of each session. The client was treated with therapeutic scraping (TS). He was also encouraged to train as he normally would in between sessions and report improvements or concerns with his mobility.

Results: The degree of internal rotation of the right shoulder increased directly following each treatment and decreased during the 7 days between treatments. The client reports significant improvement in mobility; the speed and fluidity in his Olympic lifts (primarily the Clean and Jerk) has improved greatly; and he also reports achieving personal records where progression had been difficult prior to starting treatment.

Conclusion: For this athlete, consistent, focused therapeutic scraping (TS) has proven to improve range of motion, decrease pain, decrease recovery time post-workout, and improve performance.