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Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine

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Open Access 01-03-2008

Scapular winging: anatomical review, diagnosis, and treatments

Authors: Ryan M. Martin, David E. Fish

Published in: Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine | Issue 1/2008

Abstract

Scapular winging is a rare debilitating condition that leads to limited functional activity of the upper extremity. It is the result of numerous causes, including traumatic, iatrogenic, and idiopathic processes that most often result in nerve injury and paralysis of either the serratus anterior, trapezius, or rhomboid muscles. Diagnosis is easily made upon visible inspection of the scapula, with serratus anterior paralysis resulting in medial winging of the scapula. This is in contrast to the lateral winging generated by trapezius and rhomboid paralysis. Most cases of serratus anterior paralysis spontaneously resolve within 24 months, while conservative treatment of trapezius paralysis is less effective. A conservative course of treatment is usually followed for rhomboid paralysis. To allow time for spontaneous recovery, a 6–24 month course of conservative treatment is often recommended, after which if there is no recovery, patients become candidates for corrective surgery.

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Title: Scapular winging: anatomical review, diagnosis, and treatments
Authors: Ryan M. Martin
David E. Fish
Publication date: 01-03-2008
Publisher: Humana Press Inc
Published in: Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine / Issue 1/2008
Electronic ISSN: 1935-9748
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12178-007-9000-5

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Scapular winging: anatomical review, diagnosis, and treatments

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