Scapular-Stabilization Exercises: Early-Intervention Prescription

Rehabilitation success depends on imple-mentation of a safe and progressive therapeu-tic exercise program. The patient’s medical diagnosis, along with the findings from the physical examination, will dictate the starting point for exercise prescription. The patient’s baseline status will serve as a means to track improvement with selected interventions. This article highlights exercise prescription to enhance scapular stabilization during the initial phase of rehabilitation, with additional tips for subsequent progression to exercises incorporating the kinetic chain.Exercise prescription during the initial phase of a shoulder-rehabilitation program should include flexibility and scapular-stabilization exercises. Flexibility exercises are routinely performed to restore range of motion and allow for the advancement of exercises during the later phases of reha-bilitation. Common areas in which athletes present with inflexibility include the tho-racic spine (lack of thoracic extension), the pectorals (contributing to forward shoulder posture), and the posterior shoulder