Relationship between scapular elevation exercises with different alignments and activity of the trapezius and levator scapulae muscles.
Yasuhisa Ueda, Osamu Nakamata, Fujiyasu Kakizaki and 6 others
PMID 37915451WHAT IT FOUND
During scapular elevation in healthy men, posture was associated with which muscle thickened most.
Erect trunk with arms down showed greatest trapezius change; erect trunk with thumbs at L5 showed greatest levator scapulae change. Pain was not tested.
Key findings
01Condition 1, erect trunk with arms down, had the greatest trapezius thickness change and was significantly higher than conditions 2, 3, and 4.
02Condition 2, erect trunk with thumbs at L5, had the greatest levator scapulae thickness change, 169.9%.
03Condition 3, slouching trunk with arms down, showed greater levator scapulae thickness change than condition 1 (p<0.05) and condition 4 (p<0.01).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The participants were 25 healthy adult men, so the results may not apply to people with neck pain or shoulder stiffness. The study did not measure pain or function. Muscle thickness was used as a proxy for activity, and only part of the task was checked. Spine and upper limb alignment was measured in the seated posture, not during the scapular elevation task. The direction of scapular movement during the exercise was not measured. The sample was a small convenience sample recruited from a university, and one examiner did all measurements.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest regarding publication.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the muscle thickness changes as proof that these postures treat neck pain or shoulder stiffness. The study measured healthy men, not patients, and the outcome was ultrasound thickness, not pain or function.