What is Winging of the Scapula and what causes it?
The scapula (shoulder blade) is the largest bone of the shoulder complex and has the greatest number of muscles attached to it. These muscles both stabilise the arm to the body and move the arm around in space. All these muscles act at the same time at times and oppose each other at other times, but work together like a well trained team to allow the arm to move in space. If any of these muscles are not working in the right way at the right time this leads to a break in the rhythmic motion of the scapula. This is known as a scapula ‘dysrythmia’. This leads to ‘winging’ of the scapula. Winging of the scapula is a surprisingly common physical sign, but because it is often asymptomatic it receives little attention. However, symptoms of pain, weakness, or cosmetic deformity may demand attention. Winging may be caused by injury or dysfunction of the muscles themselves or the nerves that supply the muscles.
