Differences in scapular upward rotation, pectoralis minor and levator scapulae muscle length between the symptomatic, the contralateral asymptomatic shoulder and control subjects: a cross-sectional study in a Spanish primary care setting Navarro Ledesma, Santiago Fernández Sánchez, Manuel Struyf, Filip Martinez Calderon, Javier Morales Asencio, José Miguel Luque Suárez, Alejandro Objective To determine the potential differences in both scapular positioning and scapular movement between the symptomatic and asymptomatic contralateral shoulder, in patients with unilateral subacromial pain syndrome (SAPS), and when compared with participants free of shoulder pain. Setting Three different primary care centres. Participants A sample of 73 patients with SAPS in their dominant arm was recruited, with a final sample size of 54 participants. Primary outcome measures The scapular upward rotation (SUR), the pectoralis minor and the levator scapulae muscles length tests were carried out. Results When symptomatic shoulders and controls were compared, an increased SUR at all positions (45°, 90° and 135°) was obtained in symptomatic shoulders (2/3,98/8,96°, respectively). These differences in SUR surpassed the minimal detectable change (MDC95) (0,91/1,55/2,83° at 45/90/135° of shoulder elevation). No differences were found in SUR between symptomatic and contralateral shoulders. No differences were found in either pectoralis minor or levator scapulae muscle length in all groups. Conclusions SUR was greater in patients with chronic SAPS compared with controls at different angles of shoulder elevation. 2019-10-25T11:38:31Z 2019-10-25T11:38:31Z 2019 info:eu-repo/semantics/article Navarro-Ledesma S, Fernandez-Sanchez M, Struyf F, et al. Differences in scapular upward rotation, pectoralis minor and levator scapulae muscle length between the symptomatic, the contralateral asymptomatic shoulder and control subjects: a crosssectional study in a Spanish primary care setting. BMJ Open 2019;9:e023020. http://hdl.handle.net/10481/57530 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023020 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/es/ info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Atribución-NoComercial 3.0 España BMJ