Everyday tasks like driving, computer work, and sitting at a desk cause us to hunch over. For about 80% of us, this causes shoulder tension, specifically in the Upper Trapezius and neck muscles. This tension is worsened for those who store stress in their shoulders. (You know who you are).

We all know how good it feels to have your tense shoulders rubbed, kneaded, and pounded.

The only issue is, It’s not actually fixing the tension.

The truth:
Our bodies create patterns for storing muscle tension. These can be physical or psychological (which I’ll cover later).

Physical tension comes from those daily activities (desk work, slouching, driving,..). This lengthens the Upper Trapezius in the shoulders, while shortening the Pectoralis Minor in the chest.

The shortening of the Pectoralis Minor and the lengthening of the Trapezius can become a pattern, and your body becomes used to this slouched posture and tense, sore, shoulders and neck.

So how do we reverse this pattern and end shoulder tension for good?

We re-train the body’s muscle habits back to it’s normal balance.

There are a few techniques for re-training the shoulder muscles:

1. Stretching.
Most people who exercise on a regular basis know their basic stretches. The stretch you’ll need for your shoulders is actually in your chest, the pectoralis minor. The Pectoralis Minor sits right under the Pectoralis Major (large chest muscle), and only covers about 3 ribs (shown below).

You can stretch the muscle by leaning your elbow into a doorway. Keep your elbow shorter than a 90 degree angle, and lean your weight into the doorway one side at a time. To add an extra stretch to it, you can lightly press your fingers up and under that bulge on your upper chest, created by your shoulder (check the diagram to see the Pectoralis Minor muscle — that’s the area you’ll apply pressure).

For a more direct stretch, also the massage therapist technique, requires ‘pinning’ the root of the muscle, (which is located under your armpit and along the ribs) and stretching your shoulder back. Step by step:

• First, find the Pectoralis Minor. You can find it easily by grabbing the large Pectoral muscle that drapes over your armpit, and feeling under the muscle, against the ribs. It should be closer to the center of the body, and down. You know you found it if it’s tender.
• Next, apply a decent amount of pressure until it feels like you’ve got the muscle “pinned” to your ribs.
• Lastly, slowly roll your shoulder blade back so you feel a stretch under your chest where your fingers are pinned.
• Hold this for about 5 seconds. It should hurt a little and feel tender, but should NOT be unbearably painful.

2. Posture

Slouching promotes a ‘forward roll’ in your shoulders. Your shoulders become used to being pushed forward. If you have shoulder tension, it may hurt your upper back when you try to push your shoulders back and sit up straight.

A great way to keep your shoulders pulled back is to shrug your shoulders up, squeeze your traps, then pull your shoulders back and down. You’ll feel how much easier it is to maintain this posture compared to simply pulling back your shoulders.

3. Rows
Doing rows will strengthen the weakened muscles responsible for holding your shoulders back, upright, and in good posture. Any kind of rows for the middle back will work.

Try a combination of these three techniques. Incorporate the Pectoralis Minor into your daily stretch routine, work on straightening your posture and developing your middle back strength, and say goodbye to that all too familiar shoulder tension.

Related Posts:

• 3 Easy Steps to Relieve Shoulder Stress