What happened?
A 26-year-old university-level volleyball player developed right shoulder pain that limited overhead activity. After an early return to play aggravated symptoms, the physiotherapy assessment emphasized scapulothoracic movement control and sport-specific function.
Clinical findings
- Pain recurred during volleyball smashing after a brief period of sling use and conservative care.
- Symptoms affected overhead activity, daily tasks and night comfort.
- The assessment considered biomechanics, range of motion, strength and scapular mobility and stability rather than treating pain location alone as the diagnosis.
Rehabilitation described in the report
- A six-week conservative physiotherapy programme focused on restoring scapular function and movement control.
- The report describes an individualized plan; consult the original article for its detailed exercise sequence and outcome tables.
Reported outcomes
- The authors reported relief of shoulder pain and improvement in scapulothoracic movement-control deficits after the six-week programme.
Clinical lessons to consider
- In overhead athletes, examine the kinetic chain and sport task—not only the glenohumeral joint.
- A return to sport while symptoms are still irritable may provoke recurrence; use progressive, criteria-informed loading.
- A function-based diagnosis links examination findings to the actual movement that matters to the athlete.
Limitations — what this case cannot tell us
- A single case cannot prove that the same scapular approach will work for every shoulder-pain presentation.
- Sport participation, spontaneous change and other factors may contribute to improvement.
Original source
Samiya Khan, Kalpana Zutshi, Aafreen Lnu, Ashfaque Khan, Abdur Raheem Khan. “Function-Based Diagnosis and Physiotherapeutic Intervention for Shoulder Pain and Scapulothoracic Movement Control Deficits in Volleyball Players: A Case Report.” Cureus, 2025. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.78952
View the original publicationThis page is an independently written educational summary, not a reproduction of the full paper. Check the original article for complete methods, outcome tables, references and licensing.