Effectiveness of Scapular Exercises Compared to Conventional Treatment in Shoulder Pain

Effectiveness of Scapular Exercises Compared to Conventional Treatment in People with Shoulder Pain: a Randomized Controlled Study

The contribution of the scapula to shoulder joint movement is great. The contribution of the scapula bone is more prominent, especially in overhead activities. Therefore, the position and movement of the scapula are generally examined in people with shoulder disease. Scapula-focused exercises are used in patients with shoulder problems. However, some studies focused on the effectiveness of scapula-focused exercises on shoulder problems. Thes studies fundings are controversial. Scapular dyskinesis has not been evaluated in these studies. No study has set the condition of having scapular dyskinesis as an inclusion criterion. Scapular-focused exercises are expected to have a greater effect especially on patients with scapular dyskinesis. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of scapula-focused exercises on patients with shoulder pain and obvious scapular dyskinesis.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Shoulder Pain; Scapular Dyskinesis
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Scapular Exercise; Other: Control (Standard treatment)

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 48
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Mehmet DELEN, PhD; Phone Number: +905548258720; Email: mehmetdelen@aybu.edu.tr

Study Locations

• Turkey
  • Ankara, Turkey, 06010
    • Recruiting
    • Universtiy of Health Sciences - Gülhane Faculty of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation
    • Contact: Mehmet Delen, PhD; Phone Number: +905548258720; Email: mehmetdelen@yabu.edu.tr
    • Contact: Mehmet DELEN, PhD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Having shoulder pain for at least 1 month
• Having obvious scapular dyskinesia
• Having a shoulder ROM (range of motion) at least 120º
• Being 18 years of age or older

Exclusion Criteria:

• Having received any shoulder treatment in the last 6 months
• Having an acromioclavicular joint problem
• Having a diagnosis of frozen shoulder
• Having a fracture in the shoulder area
• Having a major rotator cuff muscle tear
• Having a diagnosis of calcific rotator cuff tendinopathy
• Having a neurological or rheumatological disease

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Scapular Exercises; Scapular exercise includes scapular clock exercise, rowing exercise, resisted external rotation, resisted punching exercise. The group program also includes conventional treatment.	Other: Scapular Exercise; Scapular exercise includes scapular clock exercise (3 sets of 10 repetitions), rowing exercise (3 sets of 10 repetitions), resisted external rotation (3 sets of 10 repetitions), resisted punching exercise (3 sets of 10 repetitions). The rowing, external rotation and punching exercises will do with theraband. When participants complete the elastic band exercises easily and do not report any muscle fatigue, they will move on to the next level of difficulty. The color order of the bands is yellow, red, green and blue. The exercises will begin with the yellow elastic band, which provides the least resistance. The intervention will last for 6 weeks, with 2 training sessions per week and each training session lasting 15-20 minutes.; Other: Control (Standard treatment); Conventional Treatment includes TENS (100 Hz) with hotpack (20 minutes), Stretching exercises (posterior capsule and pectoral muscle), resisted flexion and abduction exercises. The rowing, external rotation and punching exercises will do with theraband. When participants complete the elastic band exercises easily and do not report any muscle fatigue, they will move on to the next level of difficulty. The color order of the bands is yellow, red, green and blue. The exercises will begin with the yellow elastic band, which provides the least resistance. The intervention will last for 6 weeks, with 2 training sessions per week and each training session lasting 30-45 minutes.
Active Comparator: Conventional Treatment; Conventional treatment includes TENS, hotpack, Stretching exercises (posterior capsule and pectoral muscle), resisted flexion and abduction exercises	Other: Control (Standard treatment); Conventional Treatment includes TENS (100 Hz) with hotpack (20 minutes), Stretching exercises (posterior capsule and pectoral muscle), resisted flexion and abduction exercises. The rowing, external rotation and punching exercises will do with theraband. When participants complete the elastic band exercises easily and do not report any muscle fatigue, they will move on to the next level of difficulty. The color order of the bands is yellow, red, green and blue. The exercises will begin with the yellow elastic band, which provides the least resistance. The intervention will last for 6 weeks, with 2 training sessions per week and each training session lasting 30-45 minutes.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
shoulder pain and disability index (SPADI)	SPADI is a self reported outcome for shoulder disorders. SPADI includes 13 questions. Scores range from 0 to 100. The higher a patient scores on the SPADI, the greater the level of pain/disability.	Baseline and at 6 week

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Global Rate of Change	GRoC is a reliable assessment method with 11 levels, frequently used to track changes in a participant's condition. Participants who selected the top two categories (much better and very much better) were considered recovered.	Baseline and at 6 week

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Ankara Yildirim Beyazıt University
• Collaborators: Universtiy of Health Sciences - Gülhane Faculty of Health Sciences

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Bury J, West M, Chamorro-Moriana G, Littlewood C. Effectiveness of scapula-focused approaches in patients with rotator cuff related shoulder pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Man Ther. 2016 Sep;25:35-42. doi: 10.1016/j.math.2016.05.337. Epub 2016 Jun 4.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 24, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 20, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 17, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 17, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 26, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 24, 2025
• Last Verified: March 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Effectiveness; Shoulder pain; obvious scapular dyskinesis; Conventional Treatment; Scapular Exercises
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Joint Diseases; Movement Disorders; Arthralgia; Dyskinesias; Shoulder Pain
• Other Study ID Numbers: 09/972

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Data will not be shared due to data protection rules

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No