Introduction

Rotator cuff tears are commonly accompanied by shoulder pain, muscle weakness, and limitations in functional performance. Abnormal or altered scapular kinematics can further interfere with normal shoulder biomechanics and contribute to functional impairment. Consequently, scapular stabilization exercises have gained increasing importance as a component of comprehensive shoulder rehabilitation.

Purpose

The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of scapular stabilization exercises with conventional physiotherapy in alleviating pain and enhancing shoulder function in individuals with rotator cuff tear.

Materials and Methods

One hundred patients diagnosed with rotator cuff tear were recruited for the study and equally allocated into two groups, with 50 participants in each group. Group A received scapular stabilization exercises in addition to conventional physiotherapy, whereas Group B was treated with conventional physiotherapy alone. Pain intensity and shoulder-related functional disability were evaluated using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) and Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI), respectively. Assessments were performed before and after the intervention, and the obtained scores were statistically analyzed for within-group and between-group differences.

Results

Both intervention groups exhibited improvements in pain intensity and shoulder functional status following treatment. However, participants who received scapular stabilization exercises demonstrated comparatively greater reductions in NPRS scores and improvements in SPADI scores than those receiving conventional physiotherapy alone. These findings suggest that incorporating specific scapular stabilization exercises into a conventional physiotherapy regimen may provide additional advantages in restoring shoulder function and reducing pain.

Conclusion

The combination of scapular stabilization exercises with conventional physiotherapy may be more beneficial than conventional physiotherapy alone in decreasing pain and enhancing shoulder function among patients with rotator cuff tear. Therefore, scapular stabilization exercises may be considered an effective adjunct to routine physiotherapy-based shoulder rehabilitation.

 

Keywords

Rotator cuff tear; Scapular stabilization exercises; Conventional physiotherapy; Numeric Pain Rating Scale; Shoulder Pain and Disability Index; Pain; Shoulder function.