Effects of Scapular Stabilizing Exercise in Patients with Partial-thickness Rotator Cuff Tear

Abstract

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to compare pain, range of motion, isokinetic strength, and endurance in patients with partial-thickness rotator cuff tear, before and after scapular stabilizing exercise. [Subjects] The participants included 12 male patients diagnosed with partial-thickness rotator cuff tear after a magnetic resonance imaging examination in a metropolitan hospital in Korea. [Methods] All participants were tested for pain, range of motion, isokinetic strength, and endurance and were retested after 8 weeks of a scapular stabilizing exercise program in which they participated for 30 minutes a day, 3 days a week. [Results] The differences in visual analogue scale, range of motion, isokinetic strength, and endurance before and after the exercise program were significant. [Conclusion] Patients with partial-thickness rotator cuff tear showed improvements in the areas of pain, range of motion, isokinetic strength, and endurance after scapular stabilizing exercise. Thus, rehabilitation using scapular stabilization exercises improves shoulder function in patients with partial-thickness rotator cuff tear.