What Are the Best Therapeutic Exercises for Addressing Scapular Dyskinesis?

Scapular dyskinesis is defined by either a static scapular malposition or dynamic alteration in scapular movement. 1 The scapulothoracic joint is not a true joint; it does not have a synovial lining but is dependent on and controlled by the surrounding muscles and joints. The scapulothoracic joint is critical for normal arm function because it works in harmony with the other true joints, the sternoclavicular, acromioclavicular, and glenohumeral joints, to provide the most mobile segment of the human body. The primary stabilizers and movers are called the axioscapular muscles and consist of the serratus anterior, all divisions of the trapezius, the rhomboids, the levator scapulae, and the pectoralis minor. The trapezius and serratus muscles have been found to be dysfunctional in the presence of pathology 2 and are conversely thought by some authors to be the cause of some shoulder pathologies. In either case, the prescription of exercises targeting scapular muscles is quite common.