Posture in people with shoulder impingement syndrome.

BACKGROUND The posture of people with shoulder impingement syndrome (SIS) is a result of adaptive defensive posturing to decrease the intensity of pain in the affected joint. The aim of this work is to characterise trunk and shoulder girdle positioning in patients with SIS. MATERIAL AND METHOD The study involved 58 patients treated for SIS in the years 2004-2006. Symptoms had been present for 40 months on average. A photogrammetric study was performed with the use of a MORA 4G system. It consisted in measuring lordosis and kyphosis, as well as the symmetry of some selected anthropometric points in the frontal plane. RESULTS Changes in posture presenting as an increased angle of trunk inclination in the sagittal plane and in the frontal plane were observed in all patients. There was asymmetry of bony points as regards the position of the scapula and the waist triangles. CONCLUSIONS The impingement syndrome is associated with displacement of all bony points analysed. Changes in posture are a result of adaptive mechanisms. Trunk asymmetry is secondary to changes in the spatial position of the scapula.