• Sigrid Tibaek and Janne Gadsboell.
• Department of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy, Glostrup Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Glostrup, Denmark. Electronic address: Sigrid@tibaek.dk.
• J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2015 Mar 1; 24 (3): 482-90.

BackgroundTo date, there are no published outcomes-based treatment programs to guide clinicians when managing patients with scapula alata. The purposes of this study were to describe a physical therapy program in patients with scapula alata and to evaluate its effect using a shoulder-specific quality-of-life measurement.MethodsIn this case series and retrospective study, 22 patients (11 female patients) with a median age of 34 years (interquartile range, 28-44 years), diagnosed with scapula alata caused by injury to the long thoracic nerve, were successively referred as outpatients to a physical therapy program at a university hospital. The program included (1) physical examination, (2) thoracic brace treatment, and (3) muscular rehabilitation. The treatment frequency and duration were determined individually. The effect was evaluated by a shoulder-specific quality-of-life questionnaire, the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff (WORC) Index. The WORC Index is grouped into 5 domains: physical symptoms, sport/leisure time, work, lifestyle, and emotional health.ResultsThe results showed a highly significant improvement (P < .001) from pretest to post-test as measured by all 5 domains in the WORC Index.ConclusionsThis study described in detail a physical therapy program; the program showed significant benefit. Further research is needed before recommending the program as a potential treatment option.Copyright © 2015 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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