conceptshoulder-exercises
Scapular stabilization exercise
Notes
Scapular stabilization exercise
One-line summary: Office-worker trials report that scapular-stability / shoulder-stabilization programs improved rounded-shoulder or protraction measures more than office exercise or manual therapy alone.
This page is research synthesis, not medical advice.
The insight
Retrieved office-worker RCTs treat scapular stabilization (sometimes paired with thoracic extension) as a class of work that moves posture angles, some strength sites, and lower-trapezius thickness. Abstracts name the class more often than a set/rep scheme. From 2026-08-22-academic-research-effective-shoulder-exercises-strength.
Evidence
- From 2026-08-22-academic-research-effective-shoulder-exercises-strength: Kang et al. 2021 (n=32 office workers with FHP) — scapular-stabilization plus thoracic-extension exercise (not applied to the cervical spine) vs cervical stabilization plus stretching; both improved craniovertebral angle, pain, and neck-disability; the scapular/thoracic group also improved several respiratory measures; between-group differences favored that group on FEV1 and pain.
- From 2026-08-22-academic-research-effective-shoulder-exercises-strength: Depreli et al. 2024 (n=60 office workers with shoulder protraction) — adding 8 weeks of shoulder-stabilization exercise to office exercise improved protraction, more muscle-strength sites, proprioception, and closed-kinetic-chain performance than office exercise alone.
- From 2026-08-22-academic-research-effective-shoulder-exercises-strength: Go et al. 2016 (n=38 office workers, 6 weeks, 40 min, 2×/week) — scapular-stability exercise improved forward-head distance, rounded-shoulder posture, upper-limb stability, and lower-trapezius thickness on ultrasound more than a manual-therapy comparator.
Contradictions / tensions
- Sepehri’s 22-study meta-analysis does not name the exercise lists in the abstract. See rounded-shoulder-posture.
Open questions
Related
Referenced by