LEVATOR SCAPULAE

You have trouble turning your head to look behind you, feel a burning on the top of your shoulder blade or perhaps you wake up in the morning with a crick in your neck! It could very well be your;

LEVATOR SCAPULAE (levator in Latin means to lift) which is situated at the back and side of the neck and its function is to life the scapulae, such as shrugging the shoulders.  It originates from the cervical 1-4 vertebrae as 4 little muscles joining into one and inserts into the medial border of the scapula. There is a levator scapulae muscle on both sides of your neck.  Its not the biggest muscles on the neck but it sure does a whole lot of work there.

This muscle also turns your neck on the same side, in other words if you want to look over your right shoulder, your right LS is engaged. It often works in combination with other muscles in the neck allowing for elevating and rotating the shoulders, as well as stabilizing the neck. When  you look down, the LS prevents your head from flopping forward onto your chest.

Most of us spend long hours engaging this muscle then wonder why our neck and shoulders are so tight.  One of the most common causes of LS pain is working on a keyboard that is positioned too  high. Other pain causes are in correct posture while working on laptops, driving, or working with your arms raised.

This neck muscle is frequently responsible for a stiff neck!

With massage techniques, stretching along with some PNF stretching, range of motion of the neck can be increased considerably and pain reduced.

Take time and figure out what you doing wrong if you have a stiff and painful neck.

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Sacroiliac Joint (SI Joint)

The SI joint is the bony pelvis between the sacrum and the ilium of the pelvis which are joined by strong ligaments.  This joint does not have much motion and transmits all the forces of the upper body to the pelvis (hips) and legs.  It acts as a shock absorbing structure.

As with any joint, the SI joint can become arthritic or its support ligaments can become loose or injured. Dysfunction in the SI joint is thought to cause low back and/or leg/buttock pain, numbness, tingling & weakness. It can cause unilateral leg instability, disturbed sitting patterns as well as pain going from sitting to standing.  Many people have tight hamstrings as a result from SI joint pain.

Possible causes of SI pain or dysfunction are: degeneration of the SI joint, disruption or laxity of the joint, congenital problems, inflammation of the SI joint, fracture, acute/chronic infection, bone disease, tumor - benign or malignant.

Massaging this area will help relieve any soft tissue tension that exists, as well as break down adhesions and scar tissue.  Improving blood circulation and relaxing the muscles around this area can reduce and relieve pain associated with this joint.  Some passive stretches can be done as a preliminary assessment to determine if there is any SI joint dysfunction.

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Quadratus Lumborum

After recently having many clients with tight Quadratus Lumborum Muscles, along with back & hip pain,  I thought it would make sense to cover this muscle on my next blog.  So here is some information you may find interesting!

This QL muscle is found, buried deep, in the lower back and is irregular & quadrilateral in shape.  It originates from the lower border of the last rib (for about half its length) and connects the ribs to the pelvis (hip area) attaching alongside the spine with its medial muscle fibers. It’s role is to stabilize your torso in the frontal plane, acts as a prime mover, a postural & respiratory muscle, with the overall goal of the QL is to provide lumbar stability.

The QL is a common source of lower back pain, constant contraction while seated can overuse the QL, resulting in muscle fatigue.  A constantly contracted QL will experience decreased blood flow and over time can develop adhesions in the muscle & fascia which at the end is muscle spasm.  When you lean to the side, the QL must lengthen and then contract to pull you back up. This muscle can become a key player in the subsequent onset of sciatica symptoms and hip pain. 

One key point to remember, if you have a weak Gluteus Medius muscle the chances are your QL muscle will be excessively over used and strained possibly causing a lot of pain around the lower back or hip area. Answer keep your Gluts and QL muscles is good condition.

How to check if you have a weak QL muscle, perform a side plank and see how long you can hold it. Then compare it to the other side. If you perform 60 seconds on the right side and only hold the left side for 30 seconds, your left side is weak and you need to strengthen it.

Massaging and stretching this muscle will help relieve any pain you are experiencing in this area.

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Pectoralis Major Muscle

It’s the large muscle in the chest that fans from the shoulder to the breastbone.  It is commonly referred to as the “pecs” and create the bulk of the chest area.  This muscle along with the pectoralis minor, which lies beneath the major, is predominantly used to control the movement of the arm.  Its also plays a part in deep inhalation, pulling the rib cage to create room for the lungs to expand.

If this muscle is too tight it fosters a round shoulder posture. Tightness in this area may give you pain in your chest or shoulder.  Massage is great for decreasing muscle spasms, tenderness  and referral pain. Massage will increase the flexibility & integrity of the muscle, which will decrease pain in the neck, back and shoulder area.  Massage brings  more blood to the area and reduces edema around the muscle, with increased flexibility & range of motion.  When a knot is worked on in the muscle it may radiate pain but many people feel better within a few treatments.

Strectching can enhance treatment especially if continued at home.

So if you believe massaging these muscles will contribute to your healing of pain and tightness consider finding yourself a certified massage therapist who can perform her skills.

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Subscapularis Muscle

The Subscapularis is a triangle shape muscle that is part of a group of muscles responsible for the movement of the upper arm and shoulder that make up the rotator cuff.  Its the strongest muscle in this group of four rotator cuff muscles..  It is located under the shoulder blade (and behind the rib cage) with its function been to stabilize and rotate the shoulder joint and is the most used muscles in the shoulder.

It is a muscles that is most often injured especially in athletes and one of the commonly indicated muscles responsible for shoulder pain.  Some signs of a tight subscapularis muscle is often the inward rotation of the shoulders and a “rounded back.”

The inability to raise the arm fully overhead can also indicate a tight subscapularis.  Frozen shoulder may also be tied to an overworked subscapularis. 

Massage, friction therapy and stretching can make a great difference by eliminating tightness, restoring greater range of motion and freedom from pain.  This muscle can also be reached by working on it from under the arm pit.

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