Jo Mar,

I'm not exactly sure. And it's different all the time.

Sometimes I feel it on the outer edge near the top of the scapula. Today, I felt it towards the left side of the scap where the rhomboids are located. It feels like a cross between a burning feeling and somebody pinching me on the scap.

I'd find it hard to believe that my rhomboids are weak. I can do cable rows pretty well with my right hand and do "superman's" on a swiss ball with 5 to 8lb dumbells held up with my scaps depressed. I usually maintain this hold for 60 seconds.

I don't do this stretch either. Dumb. I have a foam roller that I could use as well.

KY

I lay on my ball or foam roll for 20-30 mins or so, I just hang out and relax.

But for those with higher pain/symptoms less time at first would be less stressful to the body.

20-30 minutes at a time? Wow. Did that work for you? I just tried it for 60 seconds on a foam roller...not that comfortable, but not painful.

Do you let your head hang down? Per the article linked, one of the goals is to inhibit the anterior scalene muscles.

Also, is there much difference between this stretch and say, a doorway stretch that gets at the pecs? I do the doorway stretch quite a bit (although it tends to irritate the scap area).

KY

It is not a stretch, it is inibition.

Ihibition of scalene, we don't care about pec here.

I personaly take 2 chairs to support arm for preventing stretch of pec, because it hurt a little. But they are not as tall as my balloon, because the shoulders need to be supported more than normal.

The key is to tighten the buttocks while having leg at 90°, leg and arm relaxed.

VERY IMPORTANT : Have your shoulders 200% supported (the ball must be a bit hard and wide, but not too much, you need to sink into it, and your arms should hang at least a little to emphasize the support shoulders).

let your upper body sink into the ball. Your Shoulders and buttocks support all. And don't move.

It inhibit the postural muscle anterior scalene from firing, this inducing his atrophy by time, and so add more room on the TO.


20-30 minutes at a time?

The maximum you can do is 2-3 minutes at a time, it is very tiring. I don't joke, if you do it propely, you must be really tired after 3-4 minutes.

I still feel sometimes my blood going to my arm, my scalenes are relaxing, they are very elastic now, i have no more permanent symptoms and my pulse don't disapaer anymore even at 100°. I have no more EDEMA.

Feeling the blood going to the arm is one of the best feeling i ever had for years. I feel it, it start precisely between collarbone and first rib, and above collarbone and go to hand.

I'm here if question.

The guy in the picture (in the article) looks like hes got serious muscle imbalance issues in his back.Look at the vertical distance from the base of his neck to the tip of his shoulder !! Compare pics.




vs

yes, but like us.. upper trapez hypertrophy, rounded shoulders..

I probably do a variation that I came up with just by playing around for what felt good for me with the ball.

I'll also slowly roll my upper body around on the ball to find other tight spots and let them stretch out. The way I use it is as a passive stretch, gravity and the ball do all the work.

Sometimes I lean head back onto ball and some times I hold it in line w/upper body.

What I have found is the pressure & curve of the ball against my upper back allows it to curve forward/upward and my head, shoulders, pecs to all loosen and relax.
It's like the opposite of how we normally use our body in life.
Helps to counteract that FHP (forward head posture) & FSP (forward shoulders posture)


On the foam roll - It was suggested by PT guy for me to use a small pillow under my head


I did start out long ago (2003) with Sharon Butlers TOS program so maybe many of you need to start with something like that before moving up to these types of activities.

If you try them & it doesn't work for you yet or feel good , then it is probably too much too soon.

Sharon starts you out with a gentle warm up torso twist , and her plan moves from head down & out to arms & hands.

Sorry I can't tell much more than that, her program's copyright and such.
Most libraries do have her book in the RSI section. The stretches & other info is in it but not laid out the same as her specific TOS program.

It's not the same principe

My upper trapezius feels like that picture Even though I know it's not... I'm definitely a neck breather. I guess we all have crooked pelvises too?
Boytos How is your sitting posture now? Do you feel the need to do any strengthening


The doorway stretch is bad for winged scapulas IMO. If you are going to stretch do it with your back against a flat surface

Maybe whatever works for us is good.....
- it says on that webpage..

[The second exercise was also designed to address the athlete's faulty postural position. A sternal positional Swiss ball release was prescribed to reposition the head over the shoulder girdles and inhibit the anterior neck muscles, to decrease forward head posture and lengthen the bilateral pectoralis major muscles. ]