A single-blinded randomized clinical trial was conducted with 30 male overhead athletes (17-35 years) recruited from cricket clubs and sports complexes in Faisalabad. Participants were randomized into Group A (rotator cuff drills: plyometric medicine ball throws, wall dribbles) or Group B (PREs: resistance band exercises with progressive loading). Both groups underwent 12-week interventions (3 sessions/week) following the FIIT principle (Frequency, Intensity, Time, Type), preceded by a standardized 20-minute warm-up. Outcomes were assessed using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI), Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test (CKCUEST), and Upper Limb Rotation Test (ULRT) at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks. Data were analyzed using SPSS v24, with statistical significance set at \*p\* ≤ 0.05. Descriptive statistics (mean, SD) summarized continuous variables, while frequencies/percentages described categorical data. Normality was confirmed via Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Between-group differences were analyzed using independent \*t\*-tests, and within-group changes via paired \*t\*-tests. The study's rigorous blinding and standardized protocols minimized bias, ensuring robust comparisons between interventions.
Professional male overhead athletes aged 17-35 years
Male overhead athletes playing competitive sports like volleyball, tennis, baseball, cricket, swimming, badminton, and basketball for at least 6 hours a week. Painful arc of movement during flexion or abduction.
Positive Neer's or Kennedy-Hawkins test
Had a previous shoulder surgery.
Trauma history. Corticosteroid injection within the previous 6 weeks
Other injuries rather than Rotator cuff tendinopathy
Parallel
Rotator cuff Drills
Other intervention(rotator cuff drills: plyometric medicine ball throws, wall dribbles)
Progressive resistance exercises
Other interventionPREs: resistance band exercises with progressive loading). Both groups underwent 12-week interventions (3 sessions/week) following the FIIT principle (Frequency, Intensity, Time, Type), preceded by a standardized 20-minute warm-up.
Pain through NPRS
The Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) is an 11-point pain intensity scale where patients rate their pain from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain),
CKCUEST Scale
The Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test (CKCUEST) is a rapid, low-cost functional assessment tool used by physical therapists and sports medicine professionals to quantify shoulder stability, upper-limb power, and trunk control.
ULRT Test
The Upper Limb Rotation Test (ULRT) is a physical performance test used in sports medicine and physiotherapy to assess shoulder control, closed-chain stability, and trunk rotation.
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