Khaberni - Office workers, athletes, and the elderly face challenges in shoulder blade stability for various reasons, including: sitting for long periods, repetitive head movements, and age-related muscle weakness.
According to experts, the solution lies in strengthening the muscles that stabilize and move the shoulder blades, "an area we usually neglect, despite its significant impact on posture, movement, and pain relief," says Dana Santas, an author and certified trainer in the relationship between mind and body in professional sports, for CNN.
Santas adds: When you feel pain or stiffness in your shoulders, the first thing that might come to mind is that you need a massage or muscle stretching, but "the real reason behind most shoulder problems is not superficial tension," but is mostly "a lack of stability in the shoulder blade."
After explaining in previous reports how the lateral abdominal muscles (obliques) work on spinal stability, and how the inner thigh muscles (adductors) support the lower body through persistence in strength exercises, important for easing pain and facilitating movement.
We will now focus on strengthening the muscles supporting the shoulder blades, and why they are extremely important for the shoulders and an upper body free from pain.
The main muscles behind the stability of the shoulders are the shoulder blades or "scapulae" (Scapulae), "two flat triangular bones floating on the back of the rib cage, stabilized only by muscles, and each blade can move in six different directions: upward, downward, inward towards the spine, outward away from the spine, as well as tilt forward or backward. The following stabilizing muscle group controls these movements:
The serratus anterior muscle
Location: Located on the sides of the rib cage, below the armpits.
Function: Helps the shoulder blades to slide up and around the ribs, reaching forward and above the head.
Lower trapezius muscle
Location: Located below the shoulder blades, extending down the middle of the back.
Function: Pulls the shoulder blades downward and backward, "to counteract the common hunched shoulder posture of office workers."
The rhomboid muscles and the middle trapezius muscle
Locations: Located in the area above the back, shoulder, and neck; however, the rhomboid muscle is smaller in size and lies below the middle trapezius muscle.
Functions: The rhomboid muscle is responsible for drawing the shoulder blades together, and the middle trapezius muscle is responsible for lifting, lowering, contracting, and rotating movements, and both muscles play a crucial role in stabilizing the shoulder and maintaining correct posture.
According to Santas, "When these muscles are strong and work together correctly, the shoulder blades glide smoothly across the back, providing an ideal platform for arm operation."
A series of pains caused by weak shoulder muscles as a lack of adequate stability leads to a sequence of developments that cause pain and increase the risk of injury, such as:
Protrusion of the shoulder blades, where the shoulder blades protrude from the back like wings.
Forward tilt, where the shoulders tend to lean forward.
Both situations limit the ability of the shoulder blades to move smoothly, increasing the risk of compression and pain, and making the rotator cuff muscles more susceptible to injury and overstrain.
The problems are not limited to the shoulders but extend to affect the entire upper body, as with the bending of the shoulders, the head tends to lean forward, causing pain and stiffness in the neck, and the middle part of the back bends to accommodate the tension in the upper part, leading to back pain around the shoulder blades.
However, there is another factor that can exacerbate problems with the shoulder blades, and it is "shallow breathing."
The relationship between breathing and the problems of the shoulder blades exactly, as is the case with the oblique and adductor muscles, breathing patterns directly affect the mechanics of the shoulder, with a deep inhalation, the rib cage expands, and the serratus anterior muscle supports the shoulder blades along the ribs during expansion. Meanwhile, a long and complete exhalation activates the oblique muscles, pulling the lower ribs inward and downward, maintaining the correct position of the rib cage. In this way, proper diaphragmatic breathing gives us the ability to provide sufficient stability for the shoulder blades.
In contrast, if the breathing is shallow, it is concentrated in the upper part of the chest, making your shoulders rise with every breath, causing tension in the neck muscles, and hindering the function of the shoulder blade stabilizing muscles. Over time, shallow breathing enhances poor body posture and instability of the shoulder blade.
Exercises to strengthen the shoulder blades This is a group of exercises that do not require weights or equipment, just a wall, resistance band, or body weight:
Wall Leaning Exercise
Stand with your back against the wall, your feet apart, and your knees slightly bent.
Press your lower back, shoulders, and back of your head against the wall.
Lift your arms to shoulder level with your elbows bent at a 90-degree angle, making sure to keep your elbows and backs of your hands against the wall.
Inhale as you slowly move your arms up until maintaining the contact becomes difficult, then exhale returning to the 90-degree angle.
Perform 6 to 8 repetitions for each position, in two to three rounds.
Shoulder Blade Press Exercise
Start in a push-up position (or kneel), with your arms extended without bending your elbows.
Inhale as you lower your chest a little, bringing your shoulder blades together.
Exhale while pressing against the floor, spacing your shoulder blades away from each other.
Repeat the exercise 8 to 10 times, completing two to three sets.
Resistance Band Pull Exercise
Hold the resistance band at chest level with your arms extended in front of you, spaced shoulder-width apart.
Inhale to prepare, then exhale while pulling the band, bringing your shoulder blades together.
Return slowly with the inhale, controlling the resistance.
Repeat the exercise 8 to 12 times, for two to three sets.
Prone "Y" and "T" Arm Raise Exercise
Lie face down with your chin tucked and your neck straight.
Inhale to prepare, then exhale as you raise your arms into a "Y" shape above your head, then into a "T" shape to the sides, keeping the palms of your hands facing down.
Maintain each raising position for two to three seconds before slowly lowering your arms.
Perform 6 to 8 repetitions for each shape, in two to three rounds.
