Scapular Mobility Exercise can help improve posture, reduce shoulder pain and help avoid injuries during recreational and athletic activities. Scapular mobilization exercises target the muscles responsible for retracting and protracting shoulder blades to achieve this effect.
This movement works the serratus anterior muscle, an important scapular stabilizer. Additionally, it engages lower trapezius muscle – both are crucial for stabilization of the scapula.
1. Scapular Retraction with Rib Depression
Scapular Retraction with Rib Depression is an assessment and strengthening move which targets the serratus anterior, rhomboids, and posterior cuff of your client’s shoulder girdle to identify weakness or imbalance that may contribute to Scapular Dykinesia. You can manipulate this movement for various outcomes; for instance a bodybuilder who wants to increase weightlifting might be told “lift it up”, while someone experiencing shoulder pain might need to “shrug it off.”
To perform this exercise, slide your arms against a wall into a Y position (shown in blue below), breathing in and out and moving your ribs down toward your pelvis while breathing out slowly and steadily. Pull back your arms from the wall until you can still feel your ribs down and out and see some degree of additional retraction than when starting. This exercise can be performed both standing or sitting up straight – it even works well when combined with light cuff weights!
This exercise can help reduce compensatory rib/spine motion while simultaneously working the lower trapezius muscles. But it is essential not to overemphasise scapular retraction by excessively shrugging at the top of each movement; doing so could cause over-activation of upper trapezius muscles as well as extra compression on structures between humerus head and clavicle leading to scapulothoracic dysfunction.
An alternative way of altering this exercise is avoiding any flexion or extension movements at the top of each row, which prevents overactivation of levator scalenus and posterior rotators as well as an inward rotation that could cause cuff impingement.
One way of altering this exercise is using a band-resisted row with a wide grip. This will reduce scapular protraction at the end of each movement and make it more challenging. If a client finds this difficult, they should focus on increasing range of motion and decreasing dyskinesia before trying more difficult retraction/elevation/rotation exercises.
2. Scapular Presses
Scapular presses are an excellent exercise to do for anyone hoping to improve their overhead movements. Targeting the serratus anterior muscle, they provide an effective means of improving shoulder stability while increasing strength – plus this exercise doesn’t require equipment!
The serratus anterior muscle is essential to shoulder health and injury prevention. Coordination between muscles that control arm movement and those which move the scapula must occur for maximum benefit and reduced risk.
At the core of it all lies an understanding that working out scapular stabilizers regularly is crucial in developing strength for enhanced movement and reduced risks associated with shoulder injuries. You don’t need weights for these exercises, they can simply help build up strength without adding stress on your shoulders or increasing risk.
At this study, researchers employed various exercises to stimulate the scapular muscles such as elevation, depression and protraction. Furthermore, scapular clock exercises on a medium sized Swiss ball were also utilized; here a patient would lay in a prone position with arms supporting body then moving arms up or down depending on number on imaginary clock (3, 6, 9 or 12 o’clock).
Genie Stretch was also introduced as part of our exercise regime to increase scapular depression and decrease impingement risk. For this exercise, patient started with arms in their normal positions before pulling across chest in diagonal motions until finally pulling away diagonally across chest to increase scapular depression, thus decreasing risks.
Downward Dog Scapular Press is another effective scapular strengthening exercise. This exercise can be particularly helpful for those experiencing pain with overhead movements or seeking to strengthen shoulder stability while performing these movements, and should be coupled with other mobility and strengthening exercises such as wall push-ups, rowing movements, planks or mini band wall slides – starting out without weights or resistance can help you become comfortable before gradually adding more.
3. Scapular Rotation
Strengthening scapular stabilizing muscles is essential for good posture and shoulder comfort, and performing three scapular rotation exercises can be an effective way to build them. They should be introduced after mastering scapular retraction and press exercises, however early additions could be considered if there are no adverse symptoms when performing overhead movements like reaching.
External Rotation of the Shoulder Blade
This movement is driven primarily by two muscle groups known as serratus anterior and rhomboids, both attached to the medial portion of the scapula’s lateral border. Their muscle fibers act as antagonists so when one contracting muscle pulls down on it while when another contracting muscle pulls upward on it – creating a “flipping” motion of the shoulder blade away from its source of origin and in turn rotating laterally away from it.
As with scapular retraction, external rotation of the shoulder blade must first be mastered before more challenging movements can be attempted. A great exercise to start is standing “snow angel”. Place yourself against a wall with hands touching both walls scapulae backs hands forearms pressing against wall overhead then returning them sideways; light cuff weights may be added for additional resistance if desired and aim to complete 3 sets of 20 repetitions with 3 second holds per set.
Scapular rotation using resistance bands is an efficient and safe way to develop these muscles. There are countless variations available; here are some of the more popular exercises:
Standing Row theraband – To perform this exercise, stand in front of a cable column while holding both ends of a resistance band by your sides and extend both arms behind your body while pinching together shoulder blades simultaneously – also known as dynamic hugging.
4. Scapular Stretches
Scapular mobility exercises are essential to improving posture, reducing back pain and tension, increasing stability in the upper body, lowering risk for shoulder injuries, strengthening and lengthening muscle around your shoulder blades to increase confidence, sports performance, and work efficiency.
Regular Scapular Retraction and Rotation exercises can help enhance the integrity of shoulder blade muscles as well as strengthen chest and middle back muscles, as shown in this YouTube video by Yo Yo Wild. You can either perform this exercise while standing up as in this YTW video, or by lying on your stomach with arms raised overhead. Remember to perform each repetition slowly and deliberately as this should feel beneficial throughout your shoulders, chest, and upper back muscles.
The prone T-raise with resistance bands is another effective scapular strengthening exercise. To perform it, lie on your stomach with looped resistance bands attached to wrists or forearms and then raise and lower resistance bands until just above your head before re-looping them behind your head while pulling your hands in and forward as you do so. This movement works wonders for activating and strengthening shoulder blade muscles as well as serratus anterior muscles which play an essential role in depression stabilization of scapulae.
Standing “snow angels” stretch is another effective scapular stretching exercise. To perform it, stand with your back against a wall while keeping the backs of both hands, scapulae and forearms touching it – then perform an overhead pressing motion with both hands while keeping contact between back and wall to tighten lower trapezius muscles.
Bear Crawling on a Swiss Ball is another fantastic exercise to help maintain scapular stability. Begin by placing both feet hip-width apart on either a mat or floor surface and raising both arms above your head with arms crossed, raising arms above head again, crossing them over one another to stretch your back shoulders as well as activating lats, rhomboids and latissimus dorsi. This movement provides great shoulder stretching benefits while simultaneously activating upper back muscles such as lats rhomboids and Latissimus Dorsi.
