Comparison of the effects of pectoralis muscles stretching exercise and scapular retraction strengthening exercise on forward shoulder.
Won-Gyu Yoo
PMID 29706711WHAT IT FOUND
Scapular retraction strengthening was reported to produce a lower measured acromion-to-floor distance than pectoralis stretching in people with forward shoulder posture.
Key findings
01Twenty participants with forward shoulder posture were divided into a stretching group and a strengthening group, with ten in each group.
02Before exercise, the acromion-to-floor distance was not significantly different between groups: 6.24 ± 1.60 cm for stretching and 6.20 ± 1.97 cm for strengthening.
03After two weeks, the scapular retraction group had a significantly decreased forward shoulder posture value of 4.50 ± 1.33 cm, compared with 5.54 ± 1.30 cm in the stretching group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study did not report randomisation or allocation concealment, and it did not report blinding of participants or assessors. The outcome was a measured posture distance, not pain, function, or patient-reported improvement. Effects were measured only after two weeks, and the authors did not measure prolonged exercise effects. The sample was small and participants were young adults, so the result may not generalise to older adults or people with different shoulder conditions.
Declared interests
None was declared. Funding was not reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that scapular retraction strengthening is the best posture treatment for all patients. The study had only two active exercise groups, did not report randomisation or blinding, measured only a posture distance for two weeks, and did not assess pain or function.