Stretch Your Chest-Help Your Back Pain
Many of us experience pain in the neck and shoulder muscles. Sometimes tight chest muscles can cause shoulder pain. How can this be?
The pectoral muscles make up most of the muscles you see in a man’s chest and they lie beneath a woman’s breasts. The pectoralis major muscles are attached to the breastbone (the sternum), the shoulder bone (the clavicle) and run across the breadth of the ribcage, down to the six or seventh rib. They end in a tendon which is attached to the upper arm (the humerus). Our arms are drawn toward the middle of the body (adducted) by the pectorals. Put your left hand on your right chest,if you’re a man or feel under your breast, if you’re a woman. Move your right arm towards the middle of the body. You can feel the muscle working.
The rotation of the humerus or upper arm is also caused by the pectoral muscles. Try this exercise:put your left hand on your right chest, then sit at a table and put your right elbow on the table. Move your right hand downwards as if you’re arm wrestling. You will feel these muscles (pectorals) working. The pectoralis minor lies beneath the pectoralis major muscles . These muscles are attached to the 3rd,4th and 5th ribs on one end. At the other end they form a tendon which attaches to the scapula (shoulder blade).The action of these muscles is to move the scapula downward.
So, what does this have to do with my shoulder pain? If your pectoral muscles are not stretched regularly, they can become tight and act to pull on the humerus and scapula. The actions described will result in your shoulders being pulled slightly forward, with resulting poor posture and eventual neck and shoulder pain.
Here is a simple chest stretch. Standing against a wall, bend your right arm, forming a right angle and place your forearm on the wall with your palm flat against the wall. Lean slightly forward, moving your chest move slightly forward. You will feel a stretch along the right pectorals. Hold this position for 30 seconds. Repeat the exercises on the left side.
5 guidelines for stretching: 1.Comfortable, loose clothing. Your clothes musn’t restrict movement. It’s hard to stretch if clothes are tight 2. Breathe deeply and don’t hold your breath. Deep breathing relaxes the body and allows for better and deeper stretches. You also risk higher blood pressure by holding the breath. 3. Never force a stretch to the point of intense pain. Your stretching will cause some discomfort, which will be uncomfortable, especially if you don’t stretch often. However there shouldn’t be any intense or sudden pain. If you feel s sharp pain then you are pushing too far and should stop. Stretch the muscle less intensely eg in the chest stretch, don’t push your body forward so far. 4. Daily stretching. Stretching for a small amount of time daily will gradually increase your flexibility. If you only stretch once a week you will battle to improve. 5. Time yourself and increase your stretching time by 5 seconds each week. Start with 10-15 seconds and increase this by 5 seconds every week. You should aim to stretch for 30 seconds.