Do you have an area of soreness that you feel in-between your shoulder blades or even lower?
It could be coming from that area or perhaps it’s coming from the front?
Your shoulder joint is so movable and even though the joint has a similar configuration to the hip joint being a ball and socket joint, the shoulder joint moves much more freely and that is what makes the shoulder such a COMPLEX joint.
The shoulder joint has super strong ligaments and so many muscles holding the joint in place and did you know to get that much movement this joint is like a basketball sitting on a teacup.
One muscle, in particular, could be causing the issues you are feeling in the back and this muscle is called the pectoralis minor muscle. The pec minor is on your chest under a bigger pectoralis muscle, and its job is to pull the shoulder blade down – almost tipping the top of the shoulder blade forward. When this muscle shortens due to altered posture over time, the muscle can keep the shoulder blade pulled forward, and cause issues between the shoulder blades.
What we do is address both the back of the shoulder and upper back as well as the front of the shoulder to alleviate any tightness that the pectoralis muscle might be contributing to.
The advice we give is in between sessions to stretch out like this and also to use a tennis ball – which can be done up against the wall or simply used to rub over the top of the muscle with the ball in the opposite hand.
If you are having any issues regarding your shoulder or upper back, please do not hesitate to reach out and together we can discuss some options that might be right for you.