Dominic Stone
Scapular muscles can be activated through physical therapy and exercises that focus on strengthening the middle and lower trapezius muscles. This can help alleviate pain and discomfort in the shoulders and neck, as well as correct dysfunction in the body. Exercises can be performed in an overhead position, without arm movement, and may involve the use of a stability ball. It is important to initiate the movement from the scapula and not overuse certain muscles, such as the deltoids or upper trapezius.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Positioning | Pull the shoulder blade back and down, causing a small amount of posterior tilting |
| Exercise 1 | Middle and lower trapezius strengthening in an overhead position without arm movement |
| Exercise 2 | Middle and lower trapezius strengthening in an overhead position with arm movement |
| Exercise 3 | Rotator cuff strengthening with a stabilized shoulder blade |
| Exercise 4 | 90/90 walkouts |
| Exercise 5 | Swimmers |
| Exercise 6 | Hip and trunk exercises to facilitate correct shoulder muscle activation |
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What You'll Learn
Scapular recruitment
To perform scapular recruitment, it is important to focus on small movements. This allows the scapula to lay flush with the thorax, creating a small amount of posterior (backward) tilting in the scapula. Physical therapy can help to create different movement patterns, correcting dysfunction in the body and alleviating discomfort in the shoulders and neck.
One common issue that can be affected by scapular posture is shoulder impingement. To address this, you can perform middle and lower trapezius strengthening exercises in an overhead position, both with and without arm movement. When performing these exercises, it is important to initiate the movement from the scapula and not overuse your deltoids or over-activate the upper trapezius muscle.
Once you have established the correct movement coordination, you can increase the challenge by performing the exercises on a stability ball. Rehabilitation exercises may also incorporate multiple planes and body segments, such as the hip and trunk, to facilitate correct shoulder muscle activation and function needed for activity-specific movements.
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Middle and lower trapezius strengthening (without arm movement)
To activate your scapular muscles, you need to practice scapular recruitment. This involves pulling your shoulder blade back and down, which will cause a small amount of tilting in a posterior direction. Once you have mastered this, you can add in strengthening exercises such as rotator cuff strengthening, 90/90 walkouts and swimmers.
Middle and lower trapezius strengthening is one of the most common exercises to alleviate shoulder issues, such as shoulder impingement. To perform this exercise, lie on your stomach and recruit the middle and lower trapezius muscles without allowing the deltoids and the rhomboids to over-dominate the movement.
The correct form involves small movements, which allow the scapula to lay flush with the thorax and creates a small amount of posterior (backward) tilting in the scapula.
Once you have the basics down, you can start adding in more challenging exercises, such as performing the movement on a stability ball.
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Middle and lower trapezius strengthening (with arm movement)
To activate your scapular muscles, you need to practice scapular recruitment. This involves gradually pulling your shoulder blade back and down, which will cause a small amount of posterior tilting. Once you have mastered this, you can move on to strengthening exercises such as rotator cuff strengthening, 90/90 walkouts and swimmers.
This exercise is a little more challenging as it involves arm movement. You need to initiate the movement from the scapula and not overuse your deltoids or over-activate the upper trapezius muscle. Once you have the movement coordination established, you can perform the exercise on a stability ball for an added challenge.
To perform the exercise, lie on your stomach and recruit the middle and lower trapezius muscles without allowing the deltoids and the rhomboids to over-dominate the movement.
This exercise will help you strengthen your scapular muscles and correct any shoulder impingement issues. It is important to focus on small movements, which allow the scapula to lay flush with the thorax and create a small amount of posterior tilting in the scapula.
Once you have gained sufficient scapular strength and control, you can begin to incorporate more functional rehabilitation exercises using multiple planes and body segments. These exercises will help to facilitate correct shoulder muscle activation and function needed for activity-specific movements.
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Rotator cuff strengthening
To activate your scapular muscles, you first need to establish the correct way to position your shoulder girdle. This is known as scapular recruitment, which involves gradually pulling your shoulder blade back and down. Once you have mastered this, you can start adding in strengthening exercises, such as rotator cuff strengthening.
- Initiate the movement from the scapula, not your deltoids or upper trapezius muscle.
- Ensure you do not over-activate your deltoids or rhomboids during the exercise.
- Focus on small movements, allowing the scapula to lay flush with the thorax and creating a small amount of posterior (backward) tilting.
Once you have mastered the basic rotator cuff strengthening exercise, you can increase the challenge by adding arm movements. This will help to strengthen the middle and lower trapezius muscles in an overhead position. Just make sure you have the correct movement coordination established before adding this variation.
For an even greater challenge, perform the exercise on a stability ball. This will further activate your scapular muscles and improve your stability.
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Post-surgery rehab
To activate your scapular muscles, you need to first establish the correct way to position your shoulder girdle. This is called scapular recruitment and involves gradually pulling your shoulder blade back and down, which should cause a small amount of tilting in a posterior direction. Once you have mastered this, you can start adding in strengthening exercises such as rotator cuff strengthening (with a stabilised shoulder blade), 90/90 walkouts, and swimmers.
You can also try middle and lower trapezius strengthening exercises in an overhead position, without arm movement. If you choose to add arm movement, make sure you initiate the movement from the scapula and don't overuse your deltoids or over-activate your upper trapezius muscle. Once you have the movement coordination established, perform the exercise on a stability ball for an added challenge.
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Frequently asked questions
Practice scapular recruitment by gradually pulling your shoulder blade back and down. Once you have the basics down, you can start adding in strengthening exercises, such as rotator cuff strengthening (with a stabilized shoulder blade), 90/90 walkouts, swimmers, etc.
Middle and Lower Trapezius Strengthening in an Overhead Position (Without Arm Movement). This is a good exercise to help with shoulder impingement, which can be affected by scapular posture.
Middle and Lower Trapezius Strengthening in an Overhead Position (With Arm Movement). This exercise is a little harder and will help you strengthen those scapular muscles. Just make sure you do this correctly by initiating the movement from the scapula and not overusing your deltoids nor over-activating the upper trapezius muscle.
Rehabilitation exercises focus on increasing strength and promoting proper firing between muscles of a force couple, initially using single-plane motions to target activation of the LT, MT, and SA while simultaneously minimising activation of the UT.
