Abstract & Overview
Objective Scapular dyskinesia, characterized by altered scapular motion during shoulder activity, is commonly observed in swimmers and is associated with shoulder pain, reduced performance, and an increased risk of injury.Traditional rehabilitation primarily focuses on strengthening and mobility exercises but lacks real-time monitoring of muscle recruitment.Surface electromyography (EMG) enables direct assessment of muscle activation, allowing athletes to optimize scapular control during training and rehabilitation.To develop an EMG-guided exercise protocol to enhance scapular stabilizer muscle activation in swimmers with scapular dyskinesia.Methods This protocol development study recruited 18 male professional swimmers aged 19-23 years who were diagnosed with unilateral scapular dyskinesia using the Lateral Scapular Slide Test (LSST).Participants performed 15 commonly used scapular stabilization exercises.Surface EMG was used to record bilateral muscle activation of the trapezius (upper, middle, and lower fibers), serratus anterior, infraspinatus, rhomboids, and latissimus dorsi.Peak muscle activation values were compared between the affected and unaffected sides to identify the most effective exercises. ResultsFive exercises-push-up plus, elbow-knee push-up, lawnmower, Blackburn, and V-W dumbbell drill-elicited significantly greater activation of the scapular stabilizing muscles.These exercises were subsequently integrated into an evidencebased training protocol termed SCAP-SYNC. ConclusionThe SCAP-SYNC protocol provides a concise and targeted set of exercises designed to enhance activation of key scapular stabilizers.This protocol may be incorporated into rehabilitation and conditioning programs for swimmers with scapular dyskinesia.