Investigation of Results of Scapular Assistant Test in Patients with Shoulder Impingement Syndrome and Rotator Cuff Tear: A Clinical Pilot Study

Altered scapular kinematics are common disabilities among patients with shoulder impingement syndrome and/or rotator cuff tear. The scapular assistance test (SAT) might be a helpful diagnosis tool to identify clinical type of scapular dyskinesia. The SAT may correct scapular upward rotation and posterior tilt. The aim of this pilot study was to identify the SAT application as a diagnostic tool for type of scapular dyskinesia and among patients with shoulder impingement syndrome and rotator cuff tear. Moreover, another aim was to determine the effect of SAT on the shoulder pain and shoulder range of abduction.
Seven patients with shoulder impingement syndrome and seven patients with rotator cuff tear met the inclusion criteria and included in the study population. An experienced therapist palpated patient's scapula as starting position for the SAT. In the next stage, patient was asked to perform shoulder abduction and reported any pain or inconvenience during the examination. Meanwhile, the therapist kept upward rotation and posterior tilt of the scapula.
The pain level in shoulder (by VAS, Visual Analogue Scale), shoulder range of abduction, flexion and scapular plane elevation (by electrogoniometer) and also, shoulder disability (by DASH, Disability of Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire) had been measured during shoulder abduction and also the SAT performance. The statistical analysis was performed using independent and paired t-test after normal distribution approval.
Duration of disease (p=0.02), night pain (p Current study depicts that the SAT might be a useful test to diagnose the type of scapular dyskinesia in patients with shoulder impingement syndrome. However, the SAT may not be a valuable diagnostic test for patients with rotator cuff tear.