A Winging scapula is a result of weakness of the Serratus Anterior muscle or damage to the long thoracic nerve which supplies this muscle. The result is a protruding shoulder blade into the back.Test yourself – While wearing a tank top:Put yourself in a pushup position against the wallLean forward into your handsAsk somebody to take a picture for you.Do you notice a bump on one side versus the other?If you don&;t have a friend – go into the washroom and take a look at your shoulder heights.Do you notice one shoulder significantly lower than the other?If you do. You have scapular winging. This can affect your ability to lift, pull, or push objects. The reason is because scapular winging is a muscular imbalance which results in malpositioning of the shoulder blade. This disrupts the Scapulohumeral rhythm – which is the optimal ratio of movement when you lift your arm from your side above your head. If this is a result from a long thoracic nn entrapment Active Release Therapy or ART can definitely help with this nervous entrapment. Proper positioning and movement of the scapula is critical for full and normal shoulder range of motion. Without it, your scapular is SICK! (Scapular malposition, Inferior medial border prominence, Coracoid pain and malposition, and dysKinesis of scapular movement) SICK scapula or scapular dyskinesis refers to an injury resulting from overuse and fatigue of the muscles that stabilize and provide motion for the scapula.To counteract it we want to:. Treat the underlying soft tissue adhesionsStrengthen the affected musclesGrease the groove and provide stimuli to maintain the positioning and movement of the scapula

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If you&;ve got ringing in the ears (tinnitus), headaches or neck pain that won&;t seem to go away even with treatment? Did you know your jaw could be the cause?.Pterygoid.The Pterodactyl&;s of your body – but no actually – these wing shaped muscles are notoriously hard to feel – especially extra-orally – they are the last 2 in the muscles of mastication and their function is to assist in chewing! (Again! big surprise!) Your pterygoids are comprised of 2 parts.Medial PterygoidsLateral PterygoidsThese muscles work together to help ELEVATE and PROTRUDE the jaw. The lateral pterygoid muscle is one to note because its the ONLY muscle of mastication that can actually help open the jaw.Not all muscles are meant to just simply be released! For example – if you have a nerve entrapment of the trigeminal nerve which is a nerve in your face which also controls some muscles of sound modulation (tensor tympani, tensor veli palatini) you can have RINGING in your ears or tinnitus. This may be due to too much INACTIVITY of muscles designed to hold the jaw in its proper forward position. If the mandible shifts too far back tension can be placed on the nerve causing some of your symptoms. Confused yet? For every joint in the body, there is an optimal position, often you do not want to simply jam the joint as far back as it can go – the same applies for the TMJ. Try out some of the stuff I&;ve posted but if you&;re really concerned just go get a screen done by a professional! Most will provide free consultations. Check yourself before you wreck yourself. series

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If you&;ve got ringing in the ears (tinnitus), headaches or neck pain that won&;t seem to go away even with treatment? Did you know your jaw could be the cause?.Pterygoids.The Pterodactyl&;s of your body – but no actually – these wing shaped muscles are notoriously hard to feel – especially extra-orally – they are the last 2 in the muscles of mastication and their function is to assist in chewing! (Again! big surprise!) Your pterygoids are comprised of 2 parts..Medial PterygoidsLateral Pterygoids.These muscles work together to help ELEVATE and PROTRUDE the jaw. The lateral pterygoid muscle is one to note because its the ONLY muscle of mastication that can actually help open the jaw..Got ringing in the ears or what&;s known as tinnitus? The lateral pterygoid may be the culprit. A hyperactive pterygoid has connections to the inner ear and tugging on this can create or cause that incessant ringing..Got a click in your jaw? The lateral pterygoid has a role in causing what is known as anterior disc displacement – or pulling that articular disc in your jaw forward slightly when hyperactive. Although this muscle may be a contributing factor – We have not even begun to go down the rabbit hole when talking about disc displacements. Those are best addressed on a case by case basis with a through assessment. series

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This guy came in super grumpy. Sucks when every breath you take causes shooting pain. He woke up with pain into the mid back after heavy lifting and house renovations and presented with pain on every. Single. Breath. he had some pretty bad fascial adhesions along his right T34 and a seriously pissed off right rib (more specifically a costalvertebral joint or CVT)We got right down to it and in a single THB session including:.Cup&Pull (top left)Instrument assisted soft tissue (IAST top right)CVT adjustment (bottom left)Assisted rib mobilizationsAfterwards we had turned this guy from -> (bottom right)

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This is a great upper body stretching and mobility exercise to help achieve: . Full range in the shouldersStrength StabilityMotor control and coordinationNice stretch. This is a fundamental exercise for many calisthenics movements including any and all ring work, front levers, back levers, muscle ups, and even handstands. Here I do an added pulse to activate my legs and really feel the extension through my shoulders. Doing &;Skin the cats&; will help you achieve:will target:.Shoulder stabilizersBackChestAbdominalsTo try this movement start with your legs in a tucked position to build the required strength and practice closer to the ground so that you can touch the ground. Gradually take your body over further and progress until you can move into and out of the hang unassisted. Grip the rings/bar in a deadhangKeep the arms straight and the legs bentbring your feet up and continue the movement until the feet pass over the arms and head into an inverted hangContinue to move your feet around and toward the ground and extendReturn to the start positionRinse and repeat as a shoulder prep before activity. markham toronto

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If you&;ve got headaches, neck pain or ringing in the ears that won&;t seem to go away even with treatment? Did you know your jaw could be the cause?.Digastrics. .Today we&;ll be going for the posterior belly of the digastric in 3 steps1. Gently perform some circular massage in the area under your ear and the angle of your mandible2. Put your finger behind the angle of the mandible and press forward toward the opening of the mouth or your eye3. Do this gently on both sides at once4. Take it slow and open your mouth or take deep breaths in and out5. Repeat 8-10xDisclaimer: this is a sensitive area so be gentle! series

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If you&;ve got headaches, tooth ache or neck pain that won&;t seem to go away even with treatment? Did you know your jaw could be the cause?.The Digastrics. .The Digastric muscles – by definition this double bellied muscle is a small muscle underneath the jaw – There are two bellies of the digastric: Posterior belly – attaches to the lower part of the skullAnterior belly – inner side of the mandible and the hyoid bone – a cartilaginous structure in your neckThis muscle helps you with swallowing and depressing the jaw. In patients with TMD, often the posterior belly of this muscle is tight.To muscle test it:.Put your fingers in the corner of your jaw and press forward and toward your eyes.If you swallow and feel this muscle pop – you&;re on the right spot.If you don&;t quite feel this one – don&;t worry. It&;s a smaller muscle which blends with a number of muscles into the front of the neck and is quite a tender point! Some practitioners themselves find difficulty muscle testing this on their patients. I just wanted to show you as much as I could for self treatment – This is number 3 of 4 so only one more!. Next up is the self release for it. series

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