The various muscles that attach to the scapula work together to provide elevation, depression and rotation movements in the shoulders, arms, neck and upper back. Next we’ll start breaking down the different body parts, beginning with the muscles that move the scapula (plural scapulae). It creates the shoulder joint where it meets with the head of the humerus—the bone of the upper arm. Copyright© The American Council on Exercise. Lie on your back on a bench or on the floor holding a light dumbbell in each … This muscle performs elevation and retraction of scapula and it is innervated by the dorsal scapular nerve. That is usually the journal article where the information was first stated. At end ranges of scapular plane arm elevation, the scapula posteriorly tilts and externally rotates . Glide the shoulders upward toward the ears. Note: as with all resisted testing of vertebroscapular muscles, the preferred resistance point is that which constitutes the longest lever as this more Protraction (abduction) Elevation – In scapular elevation, your scapula moves up, or toward the head – like when you’re shrugging your shoulders. Patient actively elevates scapula; For grades 4 and 5: therapist to give resistance downwards in the direction opposite to elevation. Band pull-aparts are good for the scapula, but band reverse flies are better. In most cases Physiopedia articles are a secondary source and so should not be used as references. When refering to evidence in academic writing, you should always try to reference the primary (original) source. The scapular waist comprises the scapula, clavicle, humerus and outer, together constitute the shoulder, a joint formed by 5 joints. 2. Shrugging the shoulders (scapula elevation) requires the use of levator scapulae and Trapezius. Mollie moved to San Diego from the Midwest in 2012 to pursue her passion of playing rugby and to be able to participate in outdoor fitness year-round. Understanding how the body moves and creates movement with the muscles is a huge part of the job. Continued pressure should not cause the patient to roll forward or rotate the spine around one segment. 3.3 If you believe that this Physiopedia article is the primary source for the information you are refering to, you can use the button below to access a related citation statement. It performs actions like elevation and retraction of the scapula. Anatomy Your shoulder joint is a ball-and-socket joint. Scapula position is almost fully determined by the pulling of muscle groups that attach to the scapula. With straight but engaged arms, hang from a pull up bar or TRX straps/gymnastic rings with a pronated grip (palms facing away). 1 In order for the shoulder complex to reach its full function, a synergy of … This study examined the impact of neck muscle fatigue on scapular and humeral kinematics in participants with and without subclinical neck pain (SCNP) during humeral elevation. The weakest set of muscles in the shoulder are the scapular muscles. Reverse Band Flye. Elevation: Definition: Moving the shoulder girdle (scapula and clavicle) superiorly (upward). The scapula moves by gliding against the chest wall in three degrees of freedom; Elevation (range of motion 40°) - depression (RoM 10°) Protraction (20°) - retraction (15°) External rotation (60°) - Internal rotation (30°) During these movements, the scapula is stabilized by the muscles that attach to it and by the ligaments of the AC joint. Stand at a wall with hands placed on the wall, chest height and shoulder-width apart. Dorsal scapular nerve, from C5 to rhomboid and levator scapula muscles; responsible for elevation and stabilization of the scapula. Concurrent contraction of the levator scapulae muscle neutralizes the rotation, thus producing the elevation of scapula. Note: as with all resisted testing of vertebroscapular muscles, the preferred resistance point is that which constitutes the longest lever as this more The scapular muscles work with the rotator cuff and large shoulder muscles to move the shoulder, perform tasks that you ask and prevent injury. Mollie is also a boot camp instructor, rugby player, fitness coach and health enthusiast. To achieve the correct scapular position, you need to use your mid and lower trapezius muscles to retract the shoulder and pull the scapula down medially. levator scapulae: TP of C1-C4: superior medial border of scapula: elevation of scapula; extension & lateral flexion of neck: dorsal scapular nerve (C3, C4, C5) spinalis: thoracis: SPs T11-L2 cervicis: SP of C7 & inferior nuchal ligament capitis: TPs of C7-T6 & articular process of C4-C6 (medial part of semispinalis) Picture 2. METHODS: Ten SCNP and 10 control participants performed three unconstrained trials of dominant arm humeral elevation in the scapular plane to approximately 120 degrees before and after neck extensor muscle … Long thoracic nerve, from C5, C6, C7 to serratus anterior; responsible for abduction of the scapula. There are numerous exercises that should heavily work the scapular retraction and depression muscles (think any type of rowing movement).However, the focus of this article is to show you how to build a solid neuromuscular relationship between your mind and those muscles. She is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer, Medical Exercise Specialist, Group Fitness Instructor, Health Coach, Sports Conditioning Specialist, Behavior Change Specialist and has her CSCS through the NSCA. The serratus anterior, rhomboids, and trapezius muscles work together as a force couple to produce these motions [14, 26, 28, 29]. Hislop H, Avers D, Brown M. Daniels and Worthingham's muscle Testing-E-Book: Techniques of manual examination and performance testing. Upper trapezius levator scapulae. Scapular Stabilization Exercises. The depression and internal rotation are the passive movements, happening with the relaxation of the trapezius and levator scapulae and consequential drop of the scapula by the force of gravity. This article has everything you need to know about scapular stabilization. Bagg and Forrest found a ratio of 4.4:1 during early phase, and 1.7:1 within 80 to 140° of shoulder elevation.Burkhart et al  has used the acronym SICK to refer to the syndrome associated … Testing these nerves is useful in differentiating between root and plexus lesions. All Rights Reserved. Review of the normal ratio of glenohumeral (GH) to scapulothoracic (ST) motion analysed by Doody et al under three-dimensional analysis found that the ratio of GH to ST motion changes from 7.3: 1 in the first 30° of elevation to 0.78: 1 between 90 and 150°. I give my consent to Physiopedia to be in touch with me via email using the information I have provided in this form for the purpose of news, updates and marketing. Lower trapezius. The scapula, commonly referred to as the shoulder blade, is the bone that sits above the rib cage in the upper back. This article will demonstrate exercises that you can do on your own to improve your scapula … The role of the lower trapezius was proposed to be one of scapular stabilization by offsetting scapular elevation and protraction produced by the upper trapezius and serratus anterior muscle, while the upper trapezius muscle was proposed to be one of clavicular and scapular elevation and retraction [ 3 ]. Scapular girdle movements can be described as scapula movements: abduction (prostration), adduction (retraction), upward rotation, downward rotation, elevation and depression. As a fitness professional and an exam candidate, there is no way of getting around the fact that you need to know your anatomy! Rhomboid minor muscle – it inserts above the scapular spine. In an earlier blog, we looked at how to study anatomy. Top Contributors - Claire Knott and Wanda van Niekerk, Sign up to receive the latest Physiopedia news, The content on or accessible through Physiopedia is for informational purposes only. 50% off all ACE Specialist Programs. Swimmers are often susceptible to scapular injuries due to their requirement of performing powerful swimming strokes. Look at the picture of the muscle, find it on your body, and picture how it is contracting as it produces its associated movement or movements. It is important to train them in order to prevent injury and help with injury recovery. Dysfunction of scapular mechanics leads to functional deficits in the upper extremity.Of the 17 muscles that attach to the scapula, 6 (trapezius, serratus anterior, levator scapulae, rhomboid major and minor, and pectoralis minor) are responsible for stabilization of the scapulothoracic articulation.4Dysfunction of the serratus anterior, trapezius, and rhomboids is an established cause of scapular winging. 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