What is winging scapula?

Winging scapula is a term used to describe appearance of shoulder blade when medial (inside) border or base angle sits away from the ribs either at rest or on shoulder activity. As a form of scapula dysfunction it may not cause any shoulder problems for normal daily activities but can contribute to injuries in overhead activities such as swimming, tennis or weights training.

A physiotherapist can help to determine the cause of a winging scapula (whether it be related to a nerve injury, postural problem, shoulder joint problem) and help you to improve your shoulder blade control if it is causing a problem.

More shoulder questions

• How may physiotherapy help an injured shoulder?

• What causes a frozen shoulder?

• How do you treat a frozen shoulder?

• What does the Rotator Cuff do?

• What can physiotherapy do for a Rotator Cuff tear?

• Why is the scapula (shoulder blade) important?

• What is a winging scapula?

• What is sub-acromial impingement?

• How can physiotherapy treatment help sub-acromial impingement symptoms?

• Do I need to stop training in the gym if I have shoulder pain?

• Are there certain gym exercises that are bad for shoulders?

• Do I need to do exercises for my sore shoulder?