This 1993 clinical commentary by Wilk and Arrigo addresses rehabilitation of the overhead athletic shoulder — throwers, tennis players, swimmers — focusing on how to restore functional stability in athletes whose sport demands extreme glenohumeral laxity. It synthesizes biomechanical data, neuromuscular principles, and specific exercise constructs to build a framework for progressive shoulder rehabilitation.
When rehabilitating an overhead athlete with shoulder pain or instability, recognize that laxity is expected and not the target — your goal is functional stability through rotator cuff force couple balance, scapular control, and progressive neuromuscular challenge including plyometrics and kinetic chain loading.
Don't neglect internal rotation restoration: posterior capsular tightness is the hidden driver of anterior impingement in throwers.
This 1993 clinical commentary by Wilk and Arrigo addresses rehabilitation of the overhead athletic shoulder — throwers, tennis players, swimmers — focusing on how to restore functional stability in athletes whose sport demands extreme glenohumeral laxity. It synthesizes biomechanical data, neuromuscular principles, and specific exercise constructs to build a framework for progressive shoulder rehabilitation.
When rehabilitating an overhead athlete with shoulder pain or instability, recognize that laxity is expected and not the target — your goal is functional stability through rotator cuff force couple balance, scapular control, and progressive neuromuscular challenge including plyometrics and kinetic chain loading.
Don't neglect internal rotation restoration: posterior capsular tightness is the hidden driver of anterior impingement in throwers.