Fundamental principles of shoulder rehabilitation: conservative to postoperative management.

Until relatively recently, the role of the scapula in the clinical evaluation and treatment of shoulder and upper extremity disorders has received little attention from clinicians. Most physicians have been trained to diagnose and treat shoulder pathology and dysfunctions in an isolated manner, rather than in the context of the kinetic chain of function. In this instructional course, we hope to raise awareness of the role of the scapula in the kinetic chain, and thus in the normal function of the shoulder, and based on this paradigm, discuss the role of the scapula in shoulder dysfunction and the role of the kinetic chain in the rehabilitation of shoulder disorders.