Context: The efficacy of exercise using a flexible foil to increase strength in the shoulder rotator muscles is unknown.
Objective: To compare the effects of exercises using a flexible foil (Bodyblade) with exercises using elastic bands on shoulder internal and external rotator muscle strength.
Design: We used a randomized, controlled pretest-posttest design.
Setting: Laboratory.
Patients or other participants: Forty young adults with no previous shoulder injury.
Intervention(s): Experimental subjects participated in an 8-week program of internal and external rotation exercises consisting of 3 sessions per week.
Main outcome measure(s): Strength was tested by internal and external rotation isometric and isokinetic strength tests at 60 degrees .s (-1) and 120 degrees .s (-1).
Results: The group exercising with elastic bands had a greater pretest-posttest increase in maximal internal rotation isometric torque at 10 degrees of internal rotation and greater maximal external rotation isometric torque at 65 degrees of external rotation than the control group. The group using a flexible foil did not show an increase in strength significantly different from either the control or elastic band groups. We found no other statistically significant differences.
Conclusions: Our results do not support the use of a flexible foil for strength gains in shoulder internal and external rotation in the asymptomatic young adult population.