Shoulder blade · Wandering blade
Shoulder blade not tracking
The shoulder blade does not sit or travel on the ribcage the way a blade should. The rotator cuff then works from a moving platform and eventually complains.
Why it shows up
A ribcage that is parked in flexion, a serratus that went quiet, and pec minor that will not let the blade posteriorly tilt. Pressing more from this position is how 'shoulder impingement' gets a new client.
How it feels
- — A shoulder that clicks or pinches through 90 degrees
- — One blade that 'wings' in a push-up
- — Neck tightness that appears after pressing days
On the table
Pec minor, levator, and the posterior cuff. The serratus often needs input more than the cuff needs more band external rotations.
Drills
Shoulder blade
Wall Slide with Reach
Teach the shoulder blades to slide up without the low back flaring.
Shoulder blade
Prone T-W-Y
Wake the mid-back muscles that hold the shoulder blades on the ribcage.
Shoulder blade
Wall Push-Plus
Wake the muscle that holds the blade on the ribcage so the cuff is not working from a moving platform.
Shoulder blade
Prone Blade Set
Teach the blades to sit on the ribs before we ask them to travel.
Full chain
Farmer Carry
Stay stacked while you walk with even load — honest core work.
Self-massage
Shoulder blade
Front-of-shoulder ball
Open the front of the shoulder so the shoulder blade can sit on the ribcage again.
Shoulder blade
Back-of-shoulder ball
Quiet the back of the shoulder so the cuff can turn the arm without the neck joining.
Thoracic spine
Side-of-ribcage roller
Free the side of the ribcage so the shoulder blade can glide instead of hitching.