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A Simple Solution for Rounded Shoulders

11/11/2013

9 Comments

 
PicturePectoralis Minor on the left. Pectoralis Major on the right.
Almost a year ago I wrote about the pectoralis minor's referral pattern into the shoulder blade and shared a lovely release using a tennis ball (you can read about that here).  I am back at it again with another post highlighting the pectoralis minor and pectoralis major.  Due to the location of their attachment sites on the skeleton, they can affect the function of the head, neck, shoulder and arm.
Pectoralis Minor attaches to the coracoid process of the scapula  and to the outer surfaces of the third, fourth and fifth ribs. Restriction here can pull the shoulder blade forward (you will see the bottom/inferior portion of your shoulder blade lift away from your body wall), potentially bringing the entire arm with it).
Pectoralis Major is a big fan shaped muscle that is attached to the chest at the sternum (breast bone) and clavicle (collar bone) .  The fan shaped fibers coverge at the arm and attach into the bicipital groove of the humerus.  Restriction in this muscle will pull the arm in front of the body and rotate your arm into internal rotation (with your arms at rest at your sides, look in the mirror: where are your elbow creases facing?  If they are turned toward your body, that is called internal rotation.  In neutral, the arms should rest at the sides of the body with the elbow creases facing forward).

Just get it off your chest and feel more free!

Before you begin with the exercises, do a motion assessment first.  Stand with your elbow creases and palms facing forward.  Lift your arms up and see how far you can lift without arching your back or letting your lower ribs lift away from your body wall.  Complete the movements as show below and then repeat the assessment.  For the first exercise you can use a tennis ball, but I prefer the high grip rubber of the Yoga Tune Up massage balls.
Picture
Place the ball at the groove, just under the clavicle.
pectoral release with a tennis ball at the wall
Lean into the wall. You can add more pressure by shifting your weight forward into a lunge. Find a tender spot and allow your muscles to release. Come down farther onto the ribs and find another spot. Work 2-3 minutes.
sidelying thoracic mobility
Lie down on your side. You may want to have a pillow under your head. Bend your hips and knees to 90 degrees, arms straight out from your shoulder.
Sidelying arm reach
Lie down on your side, bring your hip and knee to 90 degrees. Let your leg completely rest on the ground. Reach your left arm to the ceiling stretching your shoulder blades wide, then begin to reach toward your face/over your head. Then begin to sweep your arm in an arc of motion keeping your palm and elbow toward the ceiling from your head down to your side.
Sidelying pectoral stretch
Keeping your knees stacked on top of each other, begin to open up your chest by reaching your top arm toward the floor. The driver of this movement is thoracic rotation. Try to increase the motion by using your breath to get deeper. Take a breath into your ribcage and on the exhale try to get your shoulder closer to the floor. Repeat on other side. Hold for 1-2 minutes or until tolerable.
Sidelying pectoral stretch windmill
Once your arm gets to your side, turn the palm down sweeping back up in an arc of motion toward your face. You will complete a full 360 degree circle. Repeat the process 5-10 times on each side.

Reassess your arm motion:  Hopefully you have more freedom in your movement!

Susan McLaughlin is a physical therapist who specializes in the management of pelvic floor and orthopedic dysfunctions. She is the owner of ALIGN integration|movement in Salt Lake City, UT.  Helpful tips and other self care strategies can be found at www.alignintegrationandmovement.com.
9 Comments
Shannon
11/12/2013 01:26:25 am

Looks like an awesome stretch! Is there any advantage to having the bottom leg straight or bent?

Reply
Susan
11/12/2013 05:59:02 am

Shannon,
Ideally it would be great if you could keep the bottom leg straight with the ankle at a 90 degrees (this is like the leg position if you were standing).If you bend the bottom knee it puts slack in the system.
Sometimes there is too much tension in the legs to keep the leg straight. Just know that and keep working on it. We are all a work in progress.... I know that I am!
Thanks for your comment, Susan

Reply
Shannon
11/12/2013 02:26:27 pm

Thanks! I think I'm at the bent-knee stage right now but will keep at it. :)

William Breland
11/12/2013 03:46:25 am

Reply
Casey Holliman link
2/20/2014 01:28:48 pm

Excellent stretch, I do it quite often. Have you seen the variation referred to as the "Brettzel"? Similar, but it involves bending your bottom knee and grasping the ankle with your top hand, and leading with your top shoulder rotating it back toward the ground. Great stretch through the thorax and also the hip flexor/quad on the opposite side. A more advanced maneuver, people who are really tight have a hard time with it, but something to work toward.

Reply
Sue Whittinghams
8/20/2014 04:37:29 pm

Great article... Good to have these reminders and updates,, thank you
Sue

Reply
Tiff
4/10/2017 01:04:11 am

I have been dealing with terrible pain in my scapula for years. At one point I was going to the chiropractor 4x a week and at very minimum 3. I was also getting massages t2x a week to try and fix the problem. Needless to say, It got EXPENSIVE! Every doctor, mt, and more focused on my back area and did very basic major and minor work. I literally was sleeping on tennis balls turned lacross balls turned golf balls to get deep in there... Dealing with this pain for at least 4 years and here I am at 4am still awake because of it and I come across this. I'm not even kidding I already feel so much relief. While doing it my fingers and forearm had extremely strong tingling and started to go numb but with deep breaths I was able to make my shoulder fall flat and WOW. That's all I can say. All kinds of spasms are happening in my elbow as I write this and my fingers are still pretty numb. They feel like they had a work out themselves and I never even used them!! Needless to say, in my initial assessment I was able to get my arm to go straight out ( a 90* angle ) and after the stretch I was able to go all the way up making my arm completely straight. While there is a lot happening in my arm as I type and I can feel every muscle contracting HOLY WOW! God bless this pin!

Reply
Susan
4/10/2017 07:55:55 am

Tiff,

Yay! Enjoy the unraveling and freedom in your arm and shoulder blade!
Susan

Reply
Julia Martin
4/10/2017 10:46:13 am

Love you and all your articles!

Reply



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