One of the most common compensations we see with people with limited overhead shoulder elevation is lateral winging of the scapula. Anytime you have limited glenohumeral joint mobility, your scapulothoracic joint is going to try to pick up the slack to raise your arm overhead.
This is common in postoperative patients, but also anyone with limited shoulder elevation.
Stabilizing the scapula during range of motion is often recommended to focus your mobility more on the shoulder than the scapula. As with everything else, as simple as this seems, there is right way, a wrong way, and a better way to stabilize the scapula during shoulder elevation.
In this video, I demonstrate the correct way to stabilize the scapula, and show some common errors that I often see.
How to Stabilize the Scapula During Shoulder Elevation
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