Date of Award

2014

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

Pitching is one of the most demanding movements in all of sport. When muscles fatigue from pitching the mechanics of the pitcher change thus resulting in a higher chance of injury. Pitchers are always looking for ways to improve their performance by delaying fatigue. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) has been shown to decrease muscle fatigue and limit next day soreness. The purpose of this study was to see if a LLLT treatment of the external rotators of the shoulder would increase time to fatigue using a fatiguing protocol. 13 participants volunteered for this study. Each participant would have two testing sessions: one using a LLLT treatment and one with a sham treatment with an inactive laser. Pre-test peak torque of external rotation would be measured and then the participant would complete a fatiguing protocol before completing the post-test peak torque. The fatiguing protocol consisted of a concentric and eccentric contraction of the external rotators. The participant would be declared fatigued when they had 3 trials in a row under 50% of their pre-test peak torque. Our results showed that LLLT did not increase time to fatigue. We believe this had to do with multiple factors, such as: small sample size, no time delay between treatment, and testing, incorrect treatment dosage, and using untrained participants. Future research with these considerations will be needed to determine the effect of LLLT has on muscle fatigue.

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