When your shoulders LONG for a massage, where do you like the pressure of the massage to be applied? I’m going to bet that you’d point to the back of your neck and top of your shoulders. But what if a massage therapist or groovy massage machine isn’t around? How can we release tension in those areas and begin to feel looser and freer?
Good news! There are some easy movement options available to you. You can do them sitting or standing. Or even lying on your back in some cases. No special equipment necessary!
But before I get to the free advice, here is a little info about your shoulder blades. They’re the flat triangular bones that sit below the shoulder on top of your back ribs. One on each side of the spine. Some people call them Wing Bones.
The thing about those shoulder blades is that they are meant to glide up and down and all around the upper back in a slippery slidey way. When they do, your shoulders move the arms more easily, your reach extends further in all directions and you can curl and arch your back. Those blades move our shoulders and arms when we swim, they allow our arms to swing when we walk and all kinds of other movements you do every day without thinking. Until you can’t do them, or doing them hurts.
Here’s a picture of a shoulder blade. It’s just below this woman’s fingers.
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Now, if you can’t or don’t move those blades up, down and all around, the supporting muscles and other tissue, like ligaments, tendons and fascia, begin to harden, tighten and weaken. And you get stiff and achy. Fatigue sets in. Your arms don’t move as well. The list goes on.
I love two particular exercise practices that keep my shoulder blades slithering along. They are “Shrug and Plop” and “Roll Around the Clock.”
Sitting comfortably, let your arms hang passively by your side. Lift your shoulders verrrrry slowly up to your ears (or higher if you can!) Do this as you slowwwwly inhale through your nose. When your shoulders reach their max, pause for heartbeat then exhale with gusto and let the shoulders plop right down. Shrug and Plop.
After a couple of reps, lift the shoulders up high again. Did I say slowly? As long as it takes for a leisurely inhalation through the nose? Then, as you exhale press your shoulders backward in space as far as they will go. You’ll likely feel those blades drawing together. Next, send the shoulders down slowly as far as they will go. And draw the shoulders forward as far as you can. Think of a clock: you lift the shoulders up to 12, send them back to 3, down to 6, forward to 9, then return to resting neutral. Roll Around the Clock.
After a few of these rolls, reverse direction. Kind of like doing the Butterfly stroke but with inert arms.
A couple of rounds of those, done whenever you feel a little stiff and tired back there, will keep the shoulder blades oiled up and ready to slide.
Better than a massage! Ok, maybe not….
