Effects of shoulder stabilization exercise on pain and functional recovery of shoulder impingement syndrome patients

[Purpose] This study examined the effects of scapular stabilization exercises immediately after surgery on pain and function in patients diagnosed with shoulder impingement syndrome. [Subjects] The subjects were assigned by random sampling to an experimental group (n=15) to which stabilization exercise was applied and a control group (n=15) to which ordinary physical treatment was applied. [Methods] To evaluate the degree of pain, a 100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS) was used. The Constant-Murley Scale (CMS) was used to evaluate the functions of the shoulder joints. To determine the range of motion, a goniometer was used to measure range of shoulder motion. The simple shoulder test (SST) was used to determine the condition of the shoulder joints of the subjects. [Results] There were significant differences in all the items of the experimental group. The results of comparison of the therapeutic effect in the experimental and control groups revealed significant differences in active abduction, passive abduction, VAS, SST, and the CMS, except for pain. [Conclusion] The results suggest that shoulder stabilization exercise positively affects pain alleviation and functional recovery in shoulder impingement patients.