At the age of 41, I have discovered my meaning in life. My purpose. My eventual legacy. I... am a scapula salesman.
This bad boy can hold so much significance for common pain and dysfunction. Anterior shoulder pain? My first thought is subscapularis. Upper back pain? Sure the pecs are pulling, but the rotator cuff muscles are the rope. Tingling and numbness when you try to sleep? All four of those rotators are keeping the head of the humerus tight in its socket, pec minor is mashing the whole shoulder girdle tight to the body, and I just know that subscap is up to something. That's not even touching on the epic, multifunctional, posture-producing balancing act between rhomboids, traps, serratus anterior, levator scapulae, and the rotators.
So, massage therapists: What can I do to get you into some direct scapula work today? Imagine yourself cruising along the spine of the scapula, dipping into the supraspinous fossa above and following infraspinatus below. You could even pinch the spine of the scapula, digging into both muscles at the same time, interacting with the broad insertion of trapezius, all while giving the whole thing a rocking, mobilizing shake. You could bully the lateral border to directly address the teres, and even swoop some thumbs into the axilla to compress subscapularis. And have you seen the 3-dimensional surface of the infraspinous fossa? It's a thing of beauty, my friends, and it's worth every second of exploration with grouped fingertips.
Today, when you're working with the upper back and mostly drawing inside the lines, working with rhomboids and trapezius and only glancing past the lateral torso, I want you to take a detour. I want you to see yourself on a long, luxurious vacation in scapula country. There's a whole world of meaningful, powerful tissue to explore.
Massage Sloth
At the age of 41, I have discovered my meaning in life. My purpose. My eventual legacy. I... am a scapula salesman.
This bad boy can hold so much significance for common pain and dysfunction. Anterior shoulder pain? My first thought is subscapularis. Upper back pain? Sure the pecs are pulling, but the rotator cuff muscles are the rope. Tingling and numbness when you try to sleep? All four of those rotators are keeping the head of the humerus tight in its socket, pec minor is mashing the whole shoulder girdle tight to the body, and I just know that subscap is up to something. That's not even touching on the epic, multifunctional, posture-producing balancing act between rhomboids, traps, serratus anterior, levator scapulae, and the rotators.
So, massage therapists: What can I do to get you into some direct scapula work today? Imagine yourself cruising along the spine of the scapula, dipping into the supraspinous fossa above and following infraspinatus below. You could even pinch the spine of the scapula, digging into both muscles at the same time, interacting with the broad insertion of trapezius, all while giving the whole thing a rocking, mobilizing shake. You could bully the lateral border to directly address the teres, and even swoop some thumbs into the axilla to compress subscapularis. And have you seen the 3-dimensional surface of the infraspinous fossa? It's a thing of beauty, my friends, and it's worth every second of exploration with grouped fingertips.
Today, when you're working with the upper back and mostly drawing inside the lines, working with rhomboids and trapezius and only glancing past the lateral torso, I want you to take a detour. I want you to see yourself on a long, luxurious vacation in scapula country. There's a whole world of meaningful, powerful tissue to explore.
3 years ago | [YT] | 384