Comparative Effects of  Kendall’s Exercises versus Scapular Stabilisation in Patients with Rounded Shoulders

Background: Rounded shoulder posture is a prevalent postural malalignment that commonly occurs in girls during adolescence. Mostly girls develop slouch posture during their teenage years because of the breast development and bad postural habits that are the leading factor of RSP. Kendall’s exercise and scapular stabilisation are two effective interventions to treat rounded shoulder posture. Objective: To compare the effects of Kendall’s exercise and scapular stabilisation to treat rounded shoulder posture and to improve the alignment of the shoulder. Methodology: A randomised controlled trial was conducted at Girls High School, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Participants were randomly allocated into Group A, which received Kendall’s exercise and Group B, which received scapular stabilisation exercises, with 17 participants in each group. Female students aged 14-17 years, with rounded shoulder posture, restricted shoulder range of motion, including internal rotation <70°, external rotation >90°, and flexion <180°, were included in this trial. Participants were excluded if they had orthopaedic or neurological disorders affecting the upper limbs or any history of trauma. The primary outcome was measured by assessing the scapular distance using the scapular distance method. Secondary outcome measures included assessment of shoulder internal rotation, external rotation, and flexion using a universal goniometer, and evaluation of pectoralis minor muscle tightness through the Sahrmann technique. Baseline measurements were taken before intervention, with follow-ups at the 2nd, 4th, and 6th week of the study. Ethical clearance was obtained from the university, and permission was taken from school administrators and patients. Descriptive statistics were computed, and parametric tests were applied to compare changes within and between groups over time. Results: The p-value is less than 0.05, so there was a significant difference between groups and the alternative hypothesis was accepted and the null hypothesis rejected. Both interventions showed positive results, but group A (Kendall’s exercise) showed more improvement as compared to group B (scapular stabilisation exercise). Conclusion: Although Kendall’s exercise and Scapular stabilisation exercises were both effective for the rounded shoulder posture but Kendall’s exercise showed more effectiveness in the improvement of the rounded shoulder posture.