ABSTRACT
Background: Subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS) is the most common clinical syndrome accounting for shoulder pain. Several methods were used in the treatment of SIS as Physical Therapy modalities and different widespread exercises. Unfortunately, there is limited evidence that core stability training improve shoulder pain, function, and muscle strength in the non-athletic population with SIS.
Design: parallel randomized controlled trial.
Setting: Assessment and therapeutic interventions were carried out at the faculty of physical therapy's outpatient clinic.
Purpose: Investigate the impact of core stability exercises on shoulder pain, muscle strength, and function in the non-athletic population with SIS.
Methods: Thirty individuals with SIS were enrolled and randomly allocated to either a control group to obtain traditional physical therapy or an experimental group to receive traditional physical therapy in addition to core stability exercises. The outcomes were pain by visual analogue scale VAS, shoulder muscle strength by handheld dynamometer HHD, and shoulder function by the Arabic version of the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index SPADI. All variables were evaluated before and after the intervention, with three sessions per week for six weeks.
Results: The experimental group had significant improvements in pain intensity (p-value = 0.044), shoulder disability level (p-value= 0.004), and shoulder muscle strength than the control group.
Conclusion: In the treatment of subacromial impingement syndrome, adding core stability training to a traditional therapy program is effective in improving pain, shoulder joint function, and shoulder muscle strength.