Effectiveness of Shoulder Strengthening Exercise Versus Core Strengthening Exercise on Shoulder Fatigue and Performance among Competitive Swimmers

Background: Swimming involves several overhead movement patterns, including continuous humeral circumduction in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions. Shoulder pain is the most common musculoskeletal complaint in swimming, with reports of the incidence of disabling shoulder pain in competitive swimmers ranging from 27% to 87%. Purpose: In swimming, the core is the reference point for all movements. Thus, maintaining a streamlined body position allows efficient transfer of force between trunk and extremities, which ultimately reflects on the swim performance. The purpose of the study is to compare the effectiveness of shoulder strengthening exercises versus core strengthening exercises on shoulder fatigue and performance among competitive swimmers. Methodology: This comparative study was conducted in the Pondicherry swimming center. 52 subjects were selected based on sample size calculation by using of OpenEpi Calculator and were divided into two groups. Group A was given shoulder strengthening exercises, and Group B was given core strengthening exercises for the duration of 6 weeks. Pre- and posttests were conducted using the SWOLF Index for swimming performance and the Modified Sphygmomanometer Test for shoulder strength. Results: The paired t -test showed significance for both Group A and B, with the level of significance, P < 0.001. The unpaired t -test showed that Group B was more significant than Group A, with the level of significance, P < 0.001. Conclusion: The comparative study conducted among the competitive swimmers concluded that core strengthening exercise shows marked improvement in reducing shoulder fatigue and improving performance than the shoulder strengthening exercise.