Conservative Treatment of a Rotator Cuff Tear With Accompanying Scapular Dyskinesis: A Case Report

in International Journal of Athletic Therapy and Training

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Aaron TurnerUniversity of the Sunshine Coast

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/ijatt.2018-0103
Keywords:
dyskinesia; glenohumeral; scapulothoracic; strain
In Print:
Volume 24: Issue 2
Page Range:
54–63
Restricted access

A 20-year-old female, national-level, synchronized ice skater sustained a midsupraspinatus tendon tear (4 mm) in her left shoulder during a training session. Physical tests identified scapular dyskinesis on the involved side, and pain during shoulder flexion tasks. With no best practice identified for the conservative treatment of rotator cuff tears, treatment focused on correcting the scapular dyskinesis present. Within 12 weeks of treatment the patient was pain free, returned to full level of sport, and did not display any signs of scapular dyskinesis. These findings suggest that conservative treatment designed to correct scapular dyskinesis can be effective in alleviating pain and dysfunction associated with rotator cuff tears, as well as reducing time to return to full level of sport when compared to surgical interventions.

Turner is with the University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland, Australia.

Turner (aturner@usc.edu.au) is corresponding author.
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International Journal of Athletic Therapy and Training

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