Possible Relationship between the Spine Curvatures and the Presence of Scapular Dyskinesis: A Possible Association

Background. Scapular dyskinesia is defined as an abnormality in the static or dynamic position of the scapula during movements of the shoulder complex, being classified as dysrhythmia, winging or mixed. It is speculated that this abnormality may be associated with the positioning of the spine, pain in the shoulders or cervical spine, as several muscles cross these same joints. Objective. The study aims to verify the relationship between spinal curvatures and the presence of scapular dyskinesia. Methods. Participants were 28 young adults (15 males and 13 females) who were evaluated using the scapular dyskinesia test, resisted by dumbbells during shoulder abduction, scaption and flexion movements and by evaluating cervical and thoracic curvatures using the flexicurve method. The angulations were calculated using the “Biomec Flex” software and statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS v26.0 software using the t test for independent samples and chi-square test. Results. Participants with scapular dyskinesia have greater angulations in the curvatures of the cervical spine and there was an association between the variables, indicating that participants classified as having normal curvatures or with cervical hyperlordosis had a higher prevalence of scapular dyskinesia, while those with rectification curvatures had a lower prevalence. Conclusions. There is relationship between spine curvatures and presence of scapular dyskinesis, therefore, a broader perspective on the evaluation of individuals with scapular dyskinesis is important.