Fig. 2

Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) of the hypothesized causal pathway of scapular stabilization exercises effect on shoulder disability. The scapular motion, position and periscapular muscle strength are putative mediators, while the pain duration, age and side of complaint are confounders of the mediator-outcome path. The periscapular muscle strength was also considered as a confounder of the relation between scapular motion and position and the outcome