The effect of manual therapy and scapular stabilization exercises on pain, functional status and quality of life in subacromial impingement syndrome

The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of manual therapy and scapular stabilization exercise programs in patients diagnosed with Subacromial Impingement Syndrome. Thirty patients who applied to the HB Güven Clinic physical therapy unit in Azerbaijan/Baku were included in the study. Participants were divided into 2 groups as Scapular Stabilization (SS) and Manual Therapy (MT). In the beginning, the demographic information, shoulder joint flexion, abduction, internal and external rotation range of motion, pain, functional status and quality of life of the participants were evaluated. During the treatment process, in addition to conventional physiotherapy, scapular mobilization, upper trapezial myofascial release, glenohumeral posterior and inferior mobilization were applied to the MT group, and push-up, scapular clock exercise, lawnmower exercise, standing weight transfer and scapular depression exercises were applied to the SS group. The treatment was applied to both groups for 4 weeks, 3 sessions per week, for a total of 12 sessions. Evaluations were repeated after treatment. Initial pain intensity, range of motion, functional status, and quality of life scores of groups were similar (p>0.05). There was a significant improvement in pain severity, range of motion, functional status, and quality of life scores of both groups after treatment (p<0.05). Although there was a statistically significant difference between the shoulder abduction and internal rotation range of motion between the two groups (p<0.05), no significant difference was found in other parameters (p>0.05). The results of the study show that scapular stabilization and manual therapy were not superior to each other, although both groups showed improvement in terms of pain intensity, functional status, and quality of life compared to pre-treatment. Keywords: Subacromial Impingement Syndrome, Manual Therapy, Scapular Stabilization Exercises