Scapula winging secondary to prone plank exercise: a case report

Background: Scapular winging occurs when the muscles responsible for the stabilization of the scapula (serratus anterior, trapezius, rhomboid major and minor) are paralyzed due to any reason. The most frequently observed neurological aetiology is serratus anterior muscle dysfunction due to long thoracic nerve palsy. The cause of long thoracic nerve palsy may be traumatic or atraumatic. It has been previously reported that a wide variety of sports can cause long thoracic nerve palsy.Clinical presentation: In this article, we report a case of unilateral winging of the scapula due to injury to the long thoracic nerve which occurred secondary to performing prone plank exercises; the likes of which has not previously been described in the literature and which may have occurred due to the exercise being performed incorrectly. In this patient, nerve recovery became evident one month following conservative treatment and cessation of plank exercises.Conclusion: Long thoracic nerve injury may have occurred due to increased and incorrect scapula loading during plank exercises. In order to prevent compression neuropathies caused by load transfer imbalance, attention should be paid to correct positioning whilst performing core stabilization exercises such as the prone plank.