Unhunch Those Shoulders: a Pec Minor Stretch

February 24, 2015April 29, 2015 / Will / Leave a comment

Do you feel like you’re always leaning forward or hunching over a computer? Chances are, your pectoralis minor muscles are short and tight. Here’s a stretch you can do in a couple of minutes during your work day to provide relief and reduce tension.

Pec minor runs from the coracoid process, a forward projection of the scapula (shoulderblade), down to upper ribs. It pull the scapula down and forward, and raises the ribs when your breathe in deeply. When it’s short, it causes the bottom of the scapula to wing out, and puts strain on the serratus anterior muscle, leading to trigger points and pain over the lower ribs and side. Releasing pec minor can lead to easier breathing and a feeling of increased openness through the chest.

Here’s a picture:

Image via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.1 Japan license. Original poster Was a bee. Created: September 10, 2012

As a guideline, stretch on the exhale. If you feel pain, back off a little. Hold the stretch for 4-10 breaths, or until you feel the resistance soften. 3 times is considered ideal, but if you’re short on time then some is better than none.

For the front of your shoulders (pectoralis minor – the muscle that hunches your shoulders when you sit at a computer):
Clasp your hands behind your back, keeping your arms straight and your hands next to your body.
Tuck your tailbone and engage your core. (If you make an “sss” noise as you exhale, you should feel your core muscles engage under your ribcage.)
Pull your shoulder blades together.
Keeping your shoulders together, your core engaged and your back straight, push your arms straight down towards the floor.
You should feel the stretch in the upper part of your chest.

I hope that helps. Drop me a line if you have questions. Have a great week!

© William Wells 2015.

Supine Hip Flexor Stretch

February 19, 2015April 29, 2015 / Will / Leave a comment

I’m always on the lookout for new ways to stretch the hip flexor muscles: rectus femoris and the iliopsoas group. I found this video and tried it out, and I like it a lot. “Supine,” means, “Lying on your back.”

Remember, with stretching, if you feel pain, back off a little; definitely avoid anything that causes sharp or stabbing pain. Hold the stretch for 4-10 breaths, or until you feel the resistance soften. 3 times each side is considered ideal, but if you’re short on time then some is better than none.

Here’s the original video. You can substitute a couple of pillows or a bolster for the foam roller.

Here’s the instructions I put together after trying it:

Supine hip flexor stretch:
1. Lie on your back on a firm surface like a yoga mat.
2. Draw your knees up as far as you can while keeping your feet on the mat.
3. Lift your pelvis off the mat in a “bridge” pose.
4. Slide a bolster, a foam roller or a couple of pillows under your sacrum.
5. Pull your knees up to your chest.
6. Holding one knee to keep your tailbone rolled up, slowly let the other leg down to the floor.
7. Feel the stretch in the front of your hip and thigh, and in your lower abdomen.
8. Experiment to find what gives you the best stretch. You can play around with lifting your lower leg or letting it rest on the floor. You can also engage your hip flexors for a few seconds by raising your whole leg, then relax back into the stretch. Alternatively, extend your leg through the heel or toes. Try rocking your pelvis up and down, and side to side.
** When you switch sides, do so by bringing both knees up, then letting the other leg down; this avoids overstraining the low back. **

Have fun, and please contact me if you have any questions.

Neck stretches 4: the Upper Traps

February 11, 2015April 29, 2015 / Will / Leave a comment

The trapezius muscle is one of the big stars of the musculoskeletal world; who hasn’t heard of the traps? It’s understandable. The traps (upper, middle and lower) cover about a third of the back and do a wide range of tasks. Trapezius is a postural muscle, which means that it’s always working to keep you upright. It pulls your shoulders back and down, and your head back, so it’s constantly contracting to counter slouchy shoulders and head-forward posture. Constant contraction in an overstretched position leads to trigger points, aching and pain in the back of the neck.

Trapezius muscle. Image via Wikimedia Commons. Originally posted by Mikael Häggström.

Today we’re focusing on the upper traps. When somebody grabs the bundle of muscle to either side of your neck, that’s upper traps on top.

If you feel pain when you’re stretching, back off a little. Hold the stretch for 4-10 breaths, or until you feel the resistance soften. 3 times each side is considered ideal, but if you’re short on time then some is better than none. Try alternating with stretching the levator scapulae, SCM and scalenes.

Pin your shoulder down on the side to be stretched. Grab your elbow with the opposite hand, or sit in a chair and grab the seat.
Bring your ear to the shoulder opposite the side to be stretched.
Turn your face up to the ceiling, towards the side to be stretched.
Gently tip your head down towards the floor, while maintaining side flexion and rotation.
Find a combination of these three movements that creates stretch up the side and back of your neck.

Make sense? Got questions? Send me a message and I’d be happy to help you out.

Once again, thanks to the ever-amazing Ray Ranger, RMT from Trikinetic Massage Therapy for posing.

Neck Stretches 3: the Scalenes

February 10, 2015April 29, 2015 / Will / Leave a comment

Your scalenes (there’s 3 of them) are moderately deep muscles in the front of the neck; they’re mostly covered by the much larger sterno-cleidomastoid (SCM), but even though they’re small, they can be a big source of trouble. In fact, because they’re so delicate, they’re highly prone to trigger points.They have a referral pattern of pain that radiates over the front or back of the shoulder, and down the arm to the hand, especially on the thumb side.

The scalene muscles run from the sides of your vertebrae to your first two ribs, and pull the ribs up when you breathe deeply. They also tend to pull your head down and forward when they’re tight, contributing to head-forward posture and pain in the back of the neck.

Anterior, middle and posterior scalenes. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons: Original uploader was Mikael Häggström at en.wikipedia

Here, then, is a stretch to isolate the scalenes, especially the anterior (front) and middle scalene. You can do this stretch as many times a day as you like. It’s good in combination with stretches for the levator scapulae, SCM and upper traps.

For this neck stretch, pin by placing your hand just below your collarbone, so that it pushes down on the first two ribs.
Tuck your chin.
Keeping your chin tucked, tip your neck back. This likely feels awkward, but this step is key.
Still keeping the chin tucked and neck back, bring your ear to the shoulder opposite the side being stretched.
Turn your face up to the ceiling, towards the side being stretched.
Play around with a combination of these movements until you feel the stretch in the front and side of your neck.