5.Scapular Awareness

5) SCAPULAR AWARENESS

The Scapula are bony structures commonly known as the shoulder blades. They rest on the back of your ribcage and connect to the shoulder joint. Their connection at the shoulder joint are their ONLY bony attachment, therefore the rest of their attachments to the spine and ribcage are actually all muscular attachments………This means they really are a pretty mobile structure. 

Sooo, doesn’t it make sense that we help to provide control, stability and mobility of the scapula, by becoming more aware of these muscles and help to make them stronger?

The fact that the scapula attaches to the shoulder means that they help the function of the shoulder joint and arm. They actually help to make a greater range of motion available to the arms.

Shrug your shoulders up     –       Scapula move upwards

Depress your shoulders      –       Scapula move downwards

Raise arms up                     –      Scapula rotate upwards

Bring arms down                 –      Scapula rotate downwards

Roll shoulders forward         –      Scapula protract (Move apart)

Roll shoulders back              –     Scapula retract (come together, Hug your spine)

Also the fact that they rest on the ribcage means that ribcage placement can also affect the placement and movement of the scapula also……(see it’s all connected)

Cited Papers:

Struyf F, Nijs J, Baeyens JP, Mottram S, Meeusen R. Scapular positioning and movement in unimpaired shoulders, shoulder impingement syndrome, and glenohumeral instability. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2011 Jun;21(3):352-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0838.2010.01274.x. Epub 2011 Mar 8. PMID: 21385219  

Umehara J, Yagi M, Hirono T, Komamura T, Nishishita S, Ichihashi N. Relationship between scapular initial position and scapular movement during dynamic motions. PLoS One. 2019 Dec 30;14(12):e0227313. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227313. PMID: 31887210; PMCID: PMC6936830  

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