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Pain in the shoulder blade

11/20/2012

12 Comments

 
Pain in the shoulder blade
Not quite a month ago I wrote a post about raking leaves and waking up the next day with pain at my shoulder blade.  I was able to relieve it after a few minutes of exercise.  Well.... it came back after a weekend of hovering over my computer.
This time I had a different strategy:  address the tension in my neck and pectoralis minor.
Due to the attachment on the coracoid process of the scapula, tension in the pec can pull the scapula forward lifting the bottom edge away from the body, potentially creating dysfunction for the entire shoulder girdle.
I was inspired by Jill Miller's YogaTune Up® Blog on the pec minor. So I share with you pics from my 2 minutes of myofascial work with a tennis ball, and "bam" no more pain!  I used a tennis ball for this, but I recommend the high grip rubber of the Yoga Tune Up massage balls.

Pectoral release with a ball
Find the deltopectoral groove at the front of your shoulder.
ball release to pecs
Place the ball at the groove, just under the clavicle.
pec release with a ball against the wall
Find a corner and lean into the wall.
decrease shoulder blade pain with this pec release
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.

I felt good all day!  Until I woke up the next morning and there it was again: pain in my left shoulder blade!  This time I released my pec minor AND added the ball release to the muscles at my neck just above my clavicle.  Five minutes later, no pain!   Check out how I did it by watching this video on the right. The video on the left is a another great way to get into the pec minor.
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.
12 Comments
Brooke Thomas link
11/20/2012 11:27:40 pm

Glad to hear you're feeling better Susan and thanks for the shout out to the pec minor post!

Reply
Susan
11/20/2012 11:42:21 pm

Thanks to you! I digest bite size chunks. Thanks for your post, Susan

Reply
Sharon Frost link
11/22/2012 04:25:47 pm

I covered the pec minor in a short series of anatomy drawings I did of this area while rehabbing a stubborn mugging-incurred irritation of an old injury: Permalink: http://sharonfrost.typepad.com/day_books/2012/10/muscling-in-on-the-brachial-plexus-its-the-pectoralis-minor-

I've used the tune up balls as part of my over-all rehab.

Reply
Sharon
11/23/2012 01:55:11 am

I love your drawings. Thank you for sharing! Susan

Reply
Alec
5/3/2013 01:31:38 am

Thank you for this :), I have had this pain for 4 days.

Reply
Susan
5/3/2013 04:37:24 am

Alec,
I hope you were able to get relief! Best, Susan

Reply
Erin
9/17/2013 11:03:28 am

Wow! I did the tennis ball one at your suggestion about the winging. SO tender! I'll definitely be working this one often.

Thanks again for sharing your wisdom.

Reply
Susan
9/17/2013 12:11:16 pm

Awesome! This release is one of my favs! Enjoy, Susan

Reply
Kari
10/22/2013 04:17:39 am

Thanks so much! I did the tennis ball release, and it seems to have worked. aaaaaaah.

Reply
Susan
10/22/2013 07:12:25 am

Kari,
So glad this worked for you! This is one of my tools for immediate relief! Susan

Reply
Living well therapy link
7/26/2018 01:56:58 am

The way you explained it all using pictures makes it super easy to understand. Loved the post and i would like to thank you for sharing it with us.

Reply
Nisha link
1/8/2022 02:19:03 am

Nice! The information I got through this blog has really helped me in understanding the Pain in Shoulder. That was something, I was desperately looking for, thankfully I found this at the right time.

Reply



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    Susan McLaughlin,
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