Shoulder blade · Desk shoulders
Tight chest, tired mid-back
The head drifts forward, the chest shortens, and the shoulder blades park out wide. The neck and upper traps do work that the mid-back was designed to do.
Why it shows up
Hours of reaching — screens, bars, handlebars — teach the body that 'ready' means rounded. Tissue then adapts: pecs and upper traps get dense and springy, deep neck flexors and lower traps go quiet. Massage can change the density. It cannot, by itself, change the default position you return to when you sit down.
How it feels
- — A dull ache at the base of the neck that returns the afternoon after bodywork
- — Shoulders that will not stay 'back' without effort
- — Headaches that start behind the eyes or at the base of the skull
On the table
Pectoralis minor, upper trapezius, levator scapulae, and the suboccipitals tend to feel ropey. The mid-back often feels empty rather than tight.
Drills
Neck & jaw
Suboccipital Nod
Lengthen the base of the skull so the head can sit over the ribcage again.
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.
Thoracic spine
Open Book Rotation
Turn from the ribcage so the low back can stop twisting.
Self-massage
Thoracic spine
Mid-back roller
Give the ribcage a chance to extend and turn so the neck and low back stop finishing every move.
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.
Neck & jaw
Upper-shoulder ball
Take the upper shoulders out of the breathing and shrugging business.
Neck & jaw
Base-of-skull rest
Let the small muscles under the skull melt so the head can sit over the ribcage.