Snapping scapula is a painful crepitus of the scapulothoracic articulation. This crepitus is a grinding or snapping noise with scapulothoracic motion that may or may not accompany pain. This condition is commonly seen in overhead-throwing athletes. Treatment of patients with this syndrome begins with nonoperative methods; when nonoperative treatment fails, several surgical options exist. This a...

Proprioception is essential for shoulder neuromuscular control and shoulder stability. Exercise of the rotator cuff and scapulothoracic muscles is an important part of shoulder rehabilitation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of rotator cuff and scapulothoracic muscle exercises on shoulder joint position sense. Thirty-six healthy subjects were recruited and randomly assig...

  Background: We hypothesize that there is no difference in the motion of the scapula with respect to the thoracic wall (scapulothoracic interface) between the affected versus non-affected shoulder on 0° and 90° standard arm abduction radiography. Methods: We enrolled 30 patients with the diagnosis of unilateral frozen shoulder after ruling out of other pathologies. Bilateral standard should...

A 19-year-old female collegiate rower presented with a new, painful mass along her right anterolateral chest wall after competition. The patient was diagnosed with a rupture of the serratus anterior muscle from its costal attachments, as confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging. The patient fully recovered after a period of rest followed by a graduated 2-month physical therapy regimen consisting...

Recent research findings are incorporated in this review of the functional anatomy of the shoulder complex. The scapulothoracic mechanism is described, including a review of scapular motion and the structure and function of the sternoclavicular and acromioclavicular joints. New information regarding the resting position of the scapula on the thorax and the effect of aging and spinal posture on ...

BACKGROUND Appropriate motion of the scapula is important for dynamic positioning of the glenoid during humeral elevation. A number of studies have described the typical scapular kinematics during humeral elevation in adults. However, children and adults may have differences in scapulothoracic musculature and scapular osteology. To our knowledge, no study has been performed examining scapular k...

BACKGROUND Physical therapy (PT) is often prescribed for patients with rotator cuff tears. The extent to which PT influences strength, range of motion (ROM), and patient-reported outcomes has been studied extensively, but the effect of PT on in vivo joint kinematics is not well understood. PURPOSE To assess the influence of symptomatic rotator cuff pathology and the effects of PT on shoulder ...