Immediate and 30-min effects of active versus passive scapular correction on clinical and sensorimotor outcomes in individuals with neck pain and scapular dysfunction: A double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial

Background Scapular correction has been demonstrated to improve pain, cervical range of motion (CROM), joint position error (JPE), and pressure pain threshold (PPT) in individuals with neck pain. However, whether active or passive scapular correction produces superior acute, short-term adaptations remains unknown. Objective The study aimed to investigate the immediate and 30-min follow-up effects of active and passive scapular correction, compared to sham control, on pain, CROM, JPEs, and PPTs in people with neck pain and scapular dysfunction. Methods In this double-blind randomized controlled trial, seventy-eight participants with neck pain and scapular dysfunction were randomly allocated to active, passive, or sham scapular correction. Each intervention consisted of 10 repetitions of 10 s: active self-correction in the active group, physiotherapist-performed passive correction in the passive group, or gentle touch in the sham group. Pain, CROM, JPEs, and PPTs were assessed at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at 30-min follow-up. Results Immediately post-intervention, both active and passive groups demonstrated reduced pain intensity and increased CROM and PPTs compared to the sham group (all p < 0.05). At 30-min follow-up, these improvements were maintained only in the active group (all p < 0.05). Reductions in cervical and shoulder JPEs were observed only in the active group immediately post-intervention (all p < 0.05). Conclusion Both active and passive scapular correction effectively improved pain intensity, cervical mobility and pain sensitivity immediately after intervention. However, active scapular correction may provide greater benefits by maintaining these effects at 30-min post-intervention and immediately improving joint position sense.