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COIf someone has a winging shoulder blade, the serratus anterior is one of the first muscles we look at.
A shoulder blade should sit smoothly against the rib cage when the arm moves. When it starts to wing off the ribs, it usually means the serratus anterior is not creating enough control to keep it anchored during motion.
In this progression, we first teach the patient how to retract and protract the scapula so they can actually feel where the shoulder blade is supposed to move. Once that control is there, we keep the shoulder blade in a protracted position and add the foam roller up the wall to challenge the serratus through upward movement.
Why this matters: the serratus anterior plays a major role in scapular stability, upward rotation, and keeping the shoulder blade flush to the thorax. Research shows that poor serratus activation is strongly associated with scapular winging and altered shoulder mechanics, which can eventually contribute to pain with lifting, reaching, throwing, or pressing overhead.
Before loading the shoulder heavily, sometimes you have to first restore the muscles that control the foundation underneath it.
#serratusanterior #shoulderpain #rotatorcuff #wingingscapula #fyp
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