Rehabilitation of bilateral shoulder impingement in a calisthenics and yoga athlete: A case report

Subacromial impingement syndrome is a common cause of shoulder pain in individuals exposed to repetitive overhead and weight-bearing activities. This case report describes the clinical presentation, imaging findings, and short-term outcomes of a 3-week individualized multimodal physiotherapy program in a recreational calisthenics and yoga athlete with bilateral shoulder impingement. The right shoulder demonstrated a predominantly functional impingement pattern, whereas the left shoulder showed a structural pattern associated with a type III acromion. Following rehabilitation, the right shoulder achieved complete pain relief, restoration of full pain-free range of motion, and normalization of strength. The left shoulder showed clinically meaningful improvement in pain, strength, and range of motion, with mild residual symptoms during higher-demand activities. This case highlights differing responses to conservative management in functional versus structurally influenced subacromial impingement and supports individualized, exercise-based physiotherapy as the first-line approach.