autostretching0036

THE SHOULDER 12.

Yourdifficulty is: Tight Muscles:

Equipment: Starting Position:

Stretching:

Stimulation:

Common Errors: Notes:

Normal Mobility:

Touching your ear to your shoulder without raising the opposite shoulder.

Shoulder/neck muscle:

1 trapezius, descending part.

If stretch is done with neck bent slightly backward. other tight muscles are affected:

2 scalenus anterior

3 scalenus meclius

4 sternodeidomastoideus.

Chair/stool, where hand can grasp under seat.

Sit with back straight; hołd head high. Tum head slightly to the right and bow forward. while leaning head/neck to left limit. Place left hand on right side of head down to the ear, to stabilize head and neck. Grip under seat with right hand. at right hip.

1. Keep upper body straight and lean to the left, so that right shoulder is pulled down and stretch is felt in right side of neck.

2. Retain steady grip and tighten muscles as if to raise right shoulder; hołd for 5 seconds.

3. Relax and lean to left limit - maybe a little bit morę.

4. Repeat until you feel you can stretch no further and muscles feel tight. Hołd this finał stretch from 15 seconds to a minutę or morę.

1. Hołd head position but release grip on chair seat.

2. Bend head/neck to the left; resist with left hand against left tempie.

3. Move right shoulder and arm downward as far as possible, without bending body to the right.

4. Hołd position a few seconds.

* Incorrect turning and sideways bending.

* Right hand grip loosens.

* Upper body doesn’t lean far enough to the left.

1. This is one of the most important exercises, and it should be done at varying degrees of bending - where you feel it the most.

2. If you bend head/neck slightly backward during this exercise, morę muscles are affected (see Tight Muscles, above).

3. If this exercise gives you pain, or you feel numb afterwards, then let your therapist check that you’re doing it right.

You should nearly be able to touch your ear to your shoulder without raising either shoulder.