Scapular Muscle Strengthening

Abstract

The purposes of this study were (a) to determine the reliability of the Nicholas hand-held dynamometer for measuring scapular adductor strength and (b) to determine if isokinetic strengthening of the scapular adductors while horizontally abducting the shoulder is more effective than strengthening the scapular adductors while extending the shoulder. An isometric make test was used to determine scapular adductor strength before and after a 6-week training program. Intraclass correlation coefficient indicated high pretest and posttest reliability. The individuals who trained the scapular adductors while horizontally abducting the shoulder showed greater increases in mean force values (20.49 kg pretest to 31.74 kg posttest) than the group combining scapular adduction with shoulder extension (19.61 kg pretest and 25.52 kg posttest). ANOVA showed a significant interaction between group and time. It may be more effective to isokinetically strengthen the scapular adductors with shoulder horizontal abduction rather than shoulder extension as a combined movement.