Efficacy of throwing exercise with TheraBand in male volleyball players with shoulder internal rotation deficit: a randomized controlled trial.

Glenohumeral internal-rotation deficit, or GIRD, is a condition where the shoulder loses some of its ability to rotate inward, and it shows up fairly often in volleyball players. This study looked at whether an eight-week program of throwing exercises with a resistance band could help restore that lost motion and improve the muscle strength around the shoulder. Sixty male volleyball players with GIRD were split into two groups: one did the band-based throwing exercises five days a week for stretching plus three days for strengthening, while the other group did a self-directed exercise routine.

The group doing the structured throwing program showed improvements in how their shoulder muscles were activating during movement, they regained some of their internal rotation range, their rotator cuff muscle strength ratios improved, and their sense of where their shoulder joint was in space got better. These changes were real enough to show up in the measurements, though the researchers were careful to note that longer-term follow-up studies would help confirm whether these gains stick around.

If you have a shoulder that doesn't rotate inward as much as it should, especially if you play volleyball or do a lot of throwing, this study looked at whether specific resistance band exercises could help restore that motion. A group of players who did eight weeks of structured band work, combining stretching and strengthening in a set routine, showed improvements in how well their shoulder muscles were working and also regained some of the rotation they had lost.

They also did better at sensing where their shoulder was positioned without looking, which is something we often take for granted but actually matters for control and safety during sports. The study was designed carefully, with one group doing the special exercises and another doing self-directed work for comparison.

What we don't know yet is how long these improvements last after the program ends, so more research over a longer time would help clarify that picture.

This is a summary of research, not medical advice. Talk to your own healthcare provider about anything affecting your care.

This RCT addresses a gap in the literature by examining how targeted rotator cuff retraining affects not just range of motion but also muscle activation patterns and proprioception in asymptomatic athletes with GIRD. The eight-week protocol showed statistically significant improvements across multiple outcome measures: EMG activity in the deltoid and infraspinatus regions, internal rotation ROM, external-to-internal rotator strength ratios, and glenohumeral joint position sense.

The structured nature of the intervention (five stretching sessions and three strengthening sessions weekly with a resistance band) appears to have engaged the relevant muscle groups more effectively than self-directed exercise, based on the within-group improvements in the experimental group. However, the abstract does not provide between-group comparisons, which would clarify how much of the improvement was attributable to the structured program versus natural adaptation or placebo effects.

The lack of longer-term follow-up data means we cannot yet say whether these gains translate into sustained functional benefits or injury prevention in this population. This work suggests the approach may be worth investigating further in other athlete groups and with extended follow-up protocols.