Scapular stabilization is a trendy term. I see many exercises written up as being very effective for improving scapular stabilization. But yet, I have yet to see a definition of what is meant by scapular stabilization.
There’s no questioning the fact that the scapula must be controlled during any movement of the arm or arms. By this I mean that the scapulae must be held under control by the muscles to allow for sliding and rotating in direct relation to the arm movement. It does not mean holding the scapula in place so that there is no movement, which is the true meaning of stabilization.
There is a very tight relationship between movement of the scapula and movement of the arm. For every 2° of arm motion, there is 1° of scapular rotation. If we use the standard definition of stabilization, the scapulae must be held in place so that there is no movement in order to be “stabilized”. Thus if the scapula was stabilized, it would be impossible to move the arm through a full range of motion.
I see many articles in which the authors talk about scapular stabilization when doing a push-up. But when doing a push-up, the scapula must abduct and adduct and rotate depending upon arm positioning, to allow for a full range of motion. How can there be any stabilization?
When raising the arms overhead, the scapulae must rotate upward in order for the arms to reach upward. The higher the arms are raised the greater is the rotation of the scapulae. How can the scapulae be stabilized in such an action?
It has gotten to the point where it is now common to read about stabilizer muscles. But as any anatomy or kinesiology book will tell you, there are no such muscles. All muscles can act as stabilizers at one time or another. This is one of their functions. How they function depends upon the movement to be executed. It is not a specialized ability that some muscles supposedly possess.
Does everyone simply believe that they know what stabilization means without knowing what it means when they see the term scapular stabilization? Or am I missing something here? When will we define terms so that we will be able to speak the same language?
For more information on movement of the scapula and the role that it plays in arm movements, see Biomechanics and Kinesiology of Exercise.