Daily Maestroism

DM #104

Sunday, September 4th, 2016

DM #104: When it comes to treating that hallmark shoulder shrug that comes with dysfunctional shoulder mechanics it’s NOT just about the lower trap.
As a PT student it’s not uncommon to be asked what are the 17 muscles that attach to the scapula (some texts say 18, not here to debate that ?), and there is ALWAYS discussion over whether or not the lat actually shoots some fibers over to the scapula. Who cares? First off, as we all know, it’s ALL connected in one way or another, and second, there’s a big ass tendon that comes from the lat and attaches to the humerus. This means that the lat can depress the humerus, and because the humerus is connected to the scapula (unless you’ve got some serious pathology), the lat can therefore depress the scapula. Texts will list the function of the scapula to include depression of the shoulder girdle. Let’s not forget that the scapula is part of that shoulder girdle!
Now, this may come as a no brainer to some of you, and that’s great. But there’s a good chance that even for those of you who know your anatomy, you’re still hammering away at that teeny lower trap, trying to get it to look like Popeye’s forearms so that your patient's shoulder won’t shrug so much when performing basically any movement that involves their arm. A perfect example would be the person whose shoulder starts creeping towards their ear while trying to do a pull-up or a dip (??yes, the Maestro is a member of this dysfunctional club?). While I’m not saying that the lower trap doesn’t need to be on board, make sure you’re checking out that lat too. Just because it’s big doesn’t mean it’s strong, or firing at the right time.
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